Shadows of the Past Continued
by Set
Summary: Read the Summary for Part 1, since this is just going along those lines. FINISHED!
1. Please Don't Leave Me

Authors Note: Almost at 200 Reviews! Yay!  
  
Kayla- Yes, Sonny's phone call to his father showed that Sonny can be mature about things that have such vital importance when it comes to his children. Or, at least my Sonny does, the show's Sonny is currently being a twit, but, with the exception of some very odd and unplanned parallels, the two don't really exist together.  
  
Joy- I was kidding, I know that it's a big list (you also left out, on some level, Mac and Lucky, but we'll keep it quiet) and I sometimes forget such things myself. Yes, the people of Port Charles aren't really into rallying behind the sick and needy, even when they should. They are a shameless lot, they are. Especially that Sonny, man, someone needs to hurt him.  
  
Journeylove- Why, thank you, I hope you enjoy the further chapters as well.  
  
Story-  
  
Emergency Room-  
  
Bobbie saw that Sonny had come to the room. She smiled as she got off the chair and walked over to her son-in-law. "I knew you'd come."  
  
"He's my son, Bobbie. Nothing could keep me from making sure that he's okay."  
  
"But he's not okay, Sonny. He might not be in any immediate danger, but we need him to recover as fast as possible and wake up. Once he wakes up we can check to see if there have been any injuries to his memory or his sight."  
  
"Do you think it's possible?" Sonny asked.  
  
"It's always a possibility when someone has been in a car accident. That's just the truth of the situation." Bobbie took one final look at Damian. "Is Carly in the waiting room?"  
  
"Yeah, she followed as soon as she got Michael settled down."  
  
"The boy goes through so much."  
  
"He'll survive," Sonny said bluntly. "We'll help him like we always do."  
  
"I guess we don't have a choice, do we?"  
  
"We don't have a choice in a lot of things," Sonny looked at the machines that were monitoring his son's heartbeat. It was strange. Sonny had felt fear before. He had felt the fright that comes with thinking that someone you're close to is going to die. But it was something that he couldn't exactly describe with Damian. He heard Bobbie open the door. "Bobbie," He spun around to look at her, "thanks for watching him. I know that you did everything you could and you didn't mess up at all."  
  
"I take my job seriously. More so when it's someone that I care about." Bobbie closed the door, leaving father and son together in a silence that might not ever be broken.  
  
Now alone with his boy, Sonny could actually see for himself what had happened. However, he wasn't moving very fast. No, he was being cautious, as if he didn't know what to do with the situation he was in. Could he hurt Damian? Hadn't he already done that enough? It seemed like he had. How many times had Damian been hurt simply because of Sonny being in his life? He couldn't even count the number of times that Damian stayed up at night growing up, wondering why he didn't have a father. The boy claimed that he never held it against Sonny, but how could that be true? Everyone wants both their parents to be around them at all times. Damian was an adjusted young man, way more than Sonny could have ever hoped to be at his age, but it didn't matter how adjusted he was, he still had to be feeling the abandonment issues that Sonny went through, that Sonny was still going through on some levels.  
  
What Sonny did know was how many times Damian had been harmed, or placed in danger, emotionally or physically, since they had met. It was always one time too many. Sonny should have never been so adamant on keeping his son around, but he couldn't help it. He had a child that he didn't even know, a child that he desperately wanted to forge a relationship with. Now that he had gotten his chance, was it going to be taken away? Did his pleas to God, to Damian's mother, mean nothing? Would they still take him away from Sonny just because? Sonny knew that he didn't deserve to have anything in his life outside of violence, death and betrayal. He was fortunate that he had those rare factors in his life that could bring him happiness. He knew just how lucky he was, and because he was so aware of that fact it made him not want to let them go, no matter what.  
  
The machine gave the 'blip' sound over and over that monitored Damian's heartbeat. Sonny couldn't help but look over. Was that what his son's life had been reduced to? A single bouncing line on a computer screen? Sonny felt the fear wash over his body as his eyes began to well up with tears. How could he live his life any further, knowing that he had something to do with what happened? How could he continue to function with the double standard that nothing mattered but protecting his family when he could possibly be losing a son because of the fact that he couldn't protect Damian? How was that justice? Sonny snickered to himself. There was no justice in the world, not really. If there was any it was corrupt. Sonny knew that the law would never work to his favor, which is why he always worked on the opposite side of the law. He'd help the police out, but only when they were an ends to a mean. He knew that people could slip through the cracks, people who shouldn't have even been allowed to live. Ric was one of them. He had managed to make a career out of using the law to his advantage, even when he had done some horrible things. People knew that he was the one that was responsible for putting an entire family through a summer of hell when he kidnapped Carly, yet he was still the ADA. If Sonny could have killed Ric, he would have. If Sonny didn't think about Adella, Ric would have been gone from all their lives long ago, and the world would have been a better place.  
  
"Damian?" Sonny called out, sitting on the chair that Bobbie had been in and moving it up to Damian's side. "I know you can hear me. I need you to wake up, son. I need you to stay alive as long as you can. I need you to prove to the world, and mostly to myself, that I did something right in spite of everything that I did that was horrible. You're important to me, just like your brothers, on so many levels. It's selfish, I know, but I have this odd sense of pride that makes me think that if I can be in your lives and you turn out to be decent people then it would show that I'm not the horrible person that people want to believe I am, that I believe I am. I know you have a hard time seeing past the violence in my life, and I don't blame you, but that also means that you can't see how much you've touched my life. You don't understand how much you've improved me as a father, and more important as a person. You've shown me parts of myself that I lost or I never had. When I want violence, you try and get me to look for other ways of doing things, and I listen. I don't know why, maybe because I can feel that deep down you're right. I can never say it, because I'm not good at admitting that I'm wrong, but that doesn't mean that I don't feel it. I can't make nay promises. Not to you, not to me, not to God, but I know that if you come out of this, if I can keep on waking up knowing that my family is complete, I'll do what I can to make sure that nothing ever happens again."  
  
There was no answer from Damian's shell of a body. Sonny knew he was in there, somewhere. He had gone through the same thing with Carly, and that was something that was caused because of him as well. It was like he was destined to put the people that he cared about in danger. "I know you're in there," Sonny said. "Maybe you're fighting to wake up, maybe you're fighting to not wake up. If you want to get out of my life, if you no longer want to be around me... I accept that. I might not ever be able to truly let go, but I'd like to think that I could give you some space. I tried so hard not to make the same mistakes that Mike made with me and Courtney, but I guess I'm always going to do it. I've been trying to show myself that I'm a better man when I might be a worse man. At least Mike just left without putting either of us in any physical danger. He couldn't have known that Deke was going to be the horrid person that he was. Maybe if he did know that he wouldn't have left, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that he left before he could hurt us, before people would come to hurt us looking for the money that he owed them. I should have let you go before the people who want to get rid of me used you as a way of getting to me. First with Faith, now with whoever did this to you. I can't promise a lot of things, Damian, but I can promise that I'm going to find the person who did this to you and I'm going to kill them. I know how much you hate killing, but I cannot let anyone who did something like this to you or to anyone else who means as much to me as you do get away without dying. If I let the person live that just means that they can strike at you or someone else again. Michael... Michael wouldn't have survived if you hadn't have gotten in the way. You've been one of his heroes since you got here, but now you're an even bigger hero to him, and to me as well. I can never pay you back for saving my son's life, even though I know that you'd never expect any type of reward for saving your little brother. Don't make him live with the guilt of being the one that caused your death, Damian. As much as we brush over the fact that Michael's such a smart boy and can take a lot, he can't survive with thinking that he's responsible for killing you, and no amount of talking to him is going to make him think that he didn't do it."  
  
Sonny grabbed Damian's hand and held it. He could feel the warmth of his son, he only hoped that Damian could feel the same. "Please... don't leave me."  
  
Waiting Room-  
  
Carly was pacing around the room like a caged animal. She hated not being able to stand by her husband's side. She hated knowing that Sonny was going through some sort of trauma and she couldn't be there to help him. Her love was too much to let her just stand around and not do anything. Wasn't there some way that she could manage to go with him inside of the room? Couldn't she appeal to someone? Anyone?  
  
"Carly, stop," Courtney said, sitting in a chair. "You're driving me insane."  
  
"This waiting is driving me insane!" Carly proclaimed. "How am I supposed to just stand around while my husband is fighting with the inner demons that he's always going up against when he fails someone he cares for." Carly slumped her shoulders, "Sonny needs my help."  
  
"Sonny needs to be alone right now," Ric said. "Sonny needs to be with his son in private."  
  
"How do you know what Sonny needs?" Carly asked. "You don't even know him."  
  
"I know him better than you want to give me credit for," Ric countered. "It's not like Sonny's a very hard individual to understand."  
  
Carly laughed, "He's got more complexity in him than you've got in that twisted little head of yours, Ric. Sonny's impossible to understand. No one can do it completely, not even he can."  
  
"Regardless," Ric began, "he needs to see for himself what's happened to his son. He needs to spend a few minutes with Damian."  
  
"And then what?" Carly questioned. "Are you going to make up some fake charge that blames Sonny for doing this to Damian and arrest him?"  
  
"Carly, that's not fair," Elizabeth stuck up for Ric.  
  
"Its okay, Elizabeth, I can take care of myself," Ric put a hand on her shoulder. "I may think that Sonny is capable of a lot of things in his life, Carly, very few of them are things that I would even want to think about. But I also know what he isn't capable of doing intentionally, and that's hurt one of his children. Whoever did this wanted to hit Michael, wanted to hurt one of Sonny's children. That would put Sonny as far away from the suspect list as he could ever hope to be."  
  
"And I'm just supposed to buy that you're here out of the goodness of your black heart?"  
  
"Couldn't I say the same thing about you?" Ric asked. "After all, it's no secret that you've felt threatened by Damian's mere presence in Port Charles. Maybe you had something to do with this, Carly. Maybe you hired someone to act like they were going to target your son, knowing that Sonny's son would do what he could to get Michael to safety, even put himself in jeopardy."  
  
"Ric," Elizabeth didn't like where the conversation was going. She didn't like anything that was going on. "Could you take me home, please?"  
  
"What?" Ric looked down at Elizabeth. "I thought you'd want to stay..."  
  
"I'm just going through an overload right now," Elizabeth was being mostly truthful, but she also wanted to get Ric out of the hospital before things turned increasingly ugly. She wasn't sure if Ric was looking for a sparing partner on purpose, but she knew that he wasn't going to back down if someone wanted to get into a verbal argument with him. She played it safe. She didn't want to see anything like that, especially when they were all busy worrying about Damian. He was more important than some foolish notion of yelling with one another. "Please, Ric."  
  
"Sure," Ric kissed Elizabeth on the forehead. "I'll come back after I drop you off."  
  
"Don't hurry," Carly called out as they walked away. "Please, by all means, take your time!"  
  
"Carly," Courtney got out of her chair, "stop doing this."  
  
"Doing what?" Carly wondered. "Stop sticking up for myself and for my family when that twisted psychopath is trying to make it look like we had something to do with what happened?"  
  
"We all know that nobody in our family had anything to do with it, Carly. Just leave it at that. Let Ric think what he wants to think, it's not like it matters anyway."  
  
"You're right. I shouldn't have lost my temper." Carly turned and saw Maxie still standing outside with Georgie. "You know what's funny, Courtney? The first time I found out that they were in love I thought that it wasn't going to last."  
  
"I tried to keep them apart, too," Courtney admitted. "I didn't want him to be hurt by Mac or anyone else who would think that the crime lord's son had no right being around the Commissioner's daughter. But, how many people tried to keep me and Jason apart at first? Sonny tried it himself. And look at how your relationship with Sonny started."  
  
Carly sighed, "I'd rather not think about how that one started out."  
  
"What I'm just trying to say, Carly, is that we shouldn't try and fight what we don't have any right to be against. Those two are in love... and I want it to work out for both of them."  
  
"Yeah, so do I."  
  
"You think we should go out there?" Courtney asked.  
  
Carly shook her head, "There's nothing that we could say to her, Courtney. We don't even know her that well. Neither does Damian, for that matter. She's got her sister, that's all that matters."  
  
"Growing up, I sometime wished that I had someone I could count on like that," Courtney admitted. "A sister that would always look out for me."  
  
"So did I," Carly agreed. "But at least we can depend on each other now, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Courtney said. "And I think we're going to need that bond now more than ever..." 


	2. Lash

Bobbie had never truly realized how long the hallway was between the emergency room and the waiting area was, but as she continued down the path that she had traveled countless amounts of times she did think that it was taking longer than it should have. She supposed it could have just been her nerves. After all, Bobbie was still very worried about what was going to happen, and even more worried about what she was going to say to anyone who had to ask her about Damian's condition. It wasn't like she had something to say that would make it all better. She had no panacea for his ailment. She wished she did, but knew that medicine would always be limited in that way. Of course, that was something that people were constantly being made aware of on a daily basis. Damian himself had been informed of the faults of medicine at a young age, when he lost his mother.  
  
"Bobbie!"  
  
Bobbie, hearing her voice called out, turned and saw the distinct face of Mike Corbin racing down to catch up with her. "Mike..." She smiled. At least Sonny had called him, unlike with the jail incident, it hadn't taken forever.  
  
"Were you with him?"  
  
"Yeah, I was."  
  
"And?"  
  
"It could be better, Mike," Bobbie responded. "There's so much that could be going better, but that doesn't mean that it's hopeless. There's still so much that could go worse, too. He's alive, and he'll more than likely make it through everything without much trouble."  
  
"I came as soon as I found out."  
  
"Everyone did," Bobbie said. "There are so many people waiting around, just for him."  
  
"I'm sure it'd make him feel better, knowing that the people that he loves are all waiting around and worrying for him."  
  
"I think it does make him feel better, Mike," Bobbie said wistfully. "I want to believe that he can feel them all thinking about him, waiting him to be better."  
  
"Where were you headed?" Mike asked.  
  
"To go talk with my daughter and anyone else who is out there waiting. I'm a little nervous."  
  
"Would it help if you had an old friend by your side?" Mike gave a smile that showed he only wanted to care for Bobbie in the best way possible. He only wanted to be there for his friend, for the grandmother of his grandsons, at least two of them by blood if not all three by spirit. They would never have a romantic attraction to one another, but they did have a deep and binding trust.  
  
"There's nothing I'd like more," Bobbie hugged Mike. "Thanks."  
  
"Just trying to help you out, Bobbie."  
  
"You are."  
  
"Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting," Mike and Bobbie walked down the hall together.  
  
Outside General Hospital-  
  
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Ric asked Elizabeth as she got into Ric's car.  
  
"What?" Elizabeth looked at him as he positioned himself in the driver's seat. "What would I have to hide?"  
  
"I scared you in the hospital, didn't I?" Ric hadn't yet looked at her, as if he couldn't. "The way I acted around Carly when I should have been more concerned over Damian's health. Look, Elizabeth, I went there because I care about the boy, but I'm not going to stand around and let anyone, especially Carly, tell me that I don't know what it's like to care about someone."  
  
"I know you were just being defensive," Elizabeth said honestly. She did know that Ric had been backed into a corner by Carly and that it wasn't fair the way she jumped down his throat without any reason at all. "But I don't think that you should have been acting like that, especially in the hospital."  
  
"I didn't mean to offend you, and I didn't mean to do it," Ric sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to caring about people. I spent so long being alone, being neglected. It's not exactly something that I can dive right into and become an expert at right away."  
  
"At least you can feel something, right?" Elizabeth asked. "It shows that you're a better person than you once were, that you're able to open your heart more than you could in the past."  
  
"Elizabeth... if you'd like... if it would make you feel any better not being alone, I could go to your place or you could come back with me."  
  
"Ric..."  
  
"Nothing has to happen," Ric cut her off. "I know that you're thinking that I'm just using this as a cheap ploy to get you in bed, but nothing could be further from the truth. I'll even sleep on the couch or the floor if you want."  
  
"It would be nice..."  
  
"I'd like it, too," Ric said. "I don't really feel like being alone tonight, and I know that I can't stay at the hospital without getting grilled by Carly, Courtney, Sonny or someone else at every possible instance. I swear to you, Elizabeth, I will do nothing that will violate you in any way tonight. Please... just come home with me. We can have a cup of tea or coffee and just hold each other."  
  
"And pray..."  
  
"If that's what you want," Ric grabbed her hand. "We're united in our grief and worry, Elizabeth. We don't get that many chances to be together anymore. I'd hate to waste it."  
  
Elizabeth was silent. She was thinking to herself about what was going on. Ric wouldn't try to hurt her. He never truly tried to hurt her ever, and he certainly wouldn't while he was busy worrying about his nephew. Besides, she certainly didn't want to be alone on that night. Maybe she never wanted to be alone again. "I'd hate it, too. Please, Ric, let's go home."  
  
Ric smiled and started the car, "You know how much I love you, right?"  
  
"You don't have to tell me over and over that you love me, Ric," Elizabeth said.  
  
"No, but I want to." He turned behind and looked out the parking lot, backing out and then driving off. They would both return sometime, they couldn't stay away.  
  
Corinthos Household-  
  
Jason had been alone since he returned from dropping Dillon off at the hospital. He felt that he should have done something more for Dillon while he was at the mansion. After all, they were family. As much as Jason tried to deny it to himself they would always be united by blood. Obviously, Damian was getting to him on more than one level. Dillon was different, though. Dillon wasn't the type of person that would hurt him or anyone else.  
  
His questions had to be placed on hold when Leticia called him and asked him to come over as soon as he could. Jason was out the door as soon as he put the phone down. He couldn't run, but it didn't take long to get across the hall. "Leticia!" He called out as he closed the door behind him.  
  
Leticia came out of the kitchen holding Morgan in her arms. "Thanks for coming so fast, Jason."  
  
"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "Is Morgan okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I was just warming him some milk... it's Michael that's the problem." Leticia rocked Morgan softly.  
  
"What do you mean? How is he being a problem?" Jason had an idea, but he needed to know for sure.  
  
"He's worried about Damian. Not that I blame him. I keep on trying to get him to sleep, Jason, but he won't. He'll say that he doesn't want to close his eyes because he's afraid that something is going to happen. I don't want to call Mr. or Mrs. Corinthos back from the hospital right now, and I know that Courtney is there, too. I was wondering if you could try and talk to Michael, make him feel better."  
  
Jason knew that Michael was going to have a hard time dealing with the accident. "I'll do what I can, but I don't know how far I can get with him."  
  
"You could do better than I did," Leticia replied. "He's shutting down to everyone, Jason. You're one of the only people that I could contact that can reach him."  
  
"Just take care of Morgan, leave Michael to me," Jason walked up the stairs, which wasn't fun or comfortable with his injury, but Michael's wellbeing was much more important to him than his own pain.  
  
Jason looked at the door, it was cracked open slightly. He could see that the room was a mess. Jason pushed the door open just a little more and he saw that Michael had basically tore his room up. Everything was scattered. His toys, his books, his clothes. Michael wasn't prone to acting up in a fit of rage like his father, but this showed that maybe he did have it in him. But more than anything else it only showed that Michael was having a very hard time dealing with what had happened.  
  
Michael was sitting on the side of his bed, looking at the wall. He hadn't heard Jason come in, maybe he didn't want to.  
  
"Buddy?" Jason asked softly.  
  
"Leave me alone," Michael said.  
  
"Michael, you know I'd never do anything to make you angry, I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to I'm right here."  
  
"I don't want to talk..."  
  
"Well, talking is a lot better than tearing your room apart," Jason took a few steps forward. "Look around, Michael. Look at the mess you made."  
  
"I know..."  
  
"Michael, you need to know that you didn't do anything wrong, not even with the way that you're acting. You're scared and hurt... and you don't know how to deal with what happened to your brother."  
  
"Is he going to die, Uncle Jason?"  
  
Jason felt himself become even more somber. Michael was thinking about something that was so depressing, something that no child his own age should have been worried about. Mortality shouldn't have been a concept to Michael, but it was and there was no way that he could change that.  
  
"I know that everyone is going to die sometime," Michael added. "But I don't want Damian to die yet, Uncle Jason."  
  
"Nobody does, buddy," Jason sat on the edge of the bed, since sitting on the ground really wasn't an option.  
  
"I asked mommy, but I still don't know how much I should trust her."  
  
"Michael, you should always trust your mother with everything. She loves you more than she loves anyone else in the world."  
  
"But she doesn't love him," Michael said. "That's why I don't know if I can believe her. She wants to protect me, and maybe she wants him to live, but I know that I can't depend on her to give me the answer that I'm going to believe." Michael looked up, "Which is why I'm asking you. Everyone trusts you with everything."  
  
"Michael, I can't really answer the question that you're asking because I don't decide who gets to live and who doesn't." Jason motioned for Michael to sit down next to him by lightly patting the part of the bed next to him. Michael got up and did what Jason asked. "But I know that your big brother is one of the strongest people that I've ever met. He's gone through so much since he was your age and he doesn't let anything beat him. I'm sure that, if he doesn't want to lose, he won't. He'll find a way to come back to you and to the rest of us as well."  
  
"Do you really believe that?"  
  
"Yeah, I do," Jason said softly. With Michael there was always some urge to give Michael everything that he could, to be the gentlest person that he could be. His fatherly instincts would never go away, even if he wasn't Michael's father anymore.  
  
Michael hugged Jason, "I knew I could count on you."  
  
"You can always count on me," Jason said, a small smile on his face breaking the blank plaster that he had worked so hard on in his life. "Now, why don't you get some sleep and tomorrow we'll clean up the mess that you made?"  
  
"Could you wait for me to go to sleep and stay around in case I have a bad dream, Uncle Jason?"  
  
"Yeah, buddy," Jason got off the bed and pulled down the covers, "I'll be happy to do that for you."  
  
A few minutes later, Michael was in slumber land. Jason turned off the headlamp and walked out, looking at the sleeping boy that he cared so much about. He closed the door and hoped that he didn't tell Michael something that couldn't happen. In order for that to not come true, Damian had to survive. 


	3. Coming Clean

Note: Apparently it was fanfiction.net itself which was having the problem and that was why I had to branch off into another story. Regardless, I'm going to keep going with the second story just in case it happens again... better safe than sorry. Also, this is, counting both stories, the 150th chapter! Let us celebrate by... I don't know, doing stuff. I would like to thank ya'll for continuing to support my opus as you have. I always feared, as a relative newbie to the world of General Hospital, that my idea wouldn't come out the way I wanted it because of my inexperience with the characters, but as I approach my first year of hopefully many more to come enjoying the drama of the citizens of Port Charles, I am awed by how much people support my characterization, and even more shocked at how much people enjoy my character. I do not believe that the story will reach 200 chapters, but I don't think that it was a bad run, do you?  
  
Joy- My Sonny good, Sonny on show bad. Got it. I agree, though. Sonny's becoming a very dislikable character, which isn't something that people really want to have happen to the person who is essentially the star of the show. Say what you will about Tony Geary, but at least Maurice doesn't go on Summer and Winter breaks thus cutting off any story for his character for months at a time. I remember the first time I watched an episode, I saw Luke and then I didn't see Luke until at least October. Aside from Sonny, I actually like the storyline... don't ask why. I think it had something to do with Sam calling Michael 'the world's littlest mobster.' That line had me laughing very much.  
  
Story-  
  
Hours later, General Hospital-  
  
It was dwindling into the wee hours of the morning. Aside from Ric and Elizabeth, no one had left. They were all tired. Not only because it was late at night, but because the raw emotions that came from the event were beginning to drain them all. The teens were huddled in a corner, not really wanting to associate with the adults that were waiting around as well. Maxie had stopped crying, but that didn't mean that she stopped worrying. Every hour that passed was another hour that she thought he could be slipping away from her. Every hour was another hour that she wished that Damian would just walk up and say that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to hear that so much.  
  
Carly was worried about Sonny more than anything. He hadn't come out even once since Monica had given him the okay to stay with his son. What was he doing in there? At least with Ric gone, she could rest a little easier. He hadn't come back, so she didn't think he was going to come back that late at night. She had checked in at the house a couple of times, being made aware of the fact that Jason was watching over Michael. Carly was happy that Jase was there. As much as she trusted Leticia, as much as she knew that Michael trusted Leticia, she also knew that Michael didn't admire the nanny in the same way that he admired his Uncle Jason.  
  
Bobbie didn't have as hard of a time as she thought she was going to have explaining what had happened and what she had observed to the people that were waiting around. The only one that wasn't aware of anything was Mike. Monica had told them all the possibilities and given them her opinions. Bobbie echoed those opinions almost to the letter. She was thankful that he was still hanging onto life as strongly as he was, but she knew that it didn't mean he was out of danger.  
  
Courtney had seen her fill of watching Maxie suffer while waiting. She knew what it was like to spend hours waiting in agony for someone that was loved to just come back, to know that they were all right and alive. Jason and Sonny had done that to her sop many times in the past. Courtney got up and walked over, putting a hand on Maxie's shoulder, "Maxie, maybe you should go home."  
  
Maxie looked up, "I don't want to leave."  
  
Courtney nodded, "I know you don't want to leave, but it might be the best thing for you to do right now. It's late, we're all tired, but you've been here all day. You need to get some rest."  
  
"How can I rest when Damian is in the emergency room, hooked up to a bunch of machines that I don't even know the names of?" Maxie was angry that Courtney was seemingly pushing her out of the hospital. "I may not be family like you, Courtney, but I still love him."  
  
"I know you do," Courtney's voice was soft but firm. "But would he want you standing here and waiting for him? There's no telling how long this is going to take. He wouldn't want you to spend every moment agonizing over what could be happening to him. He would want you to try and get some rest."  
  
"How can I sleep?"  
  
"You'll find a way," Courtney smiled. "Just because you go home to get some rest doesn't mean that you don't care about him any more or any less. He wouldn't hold it against you, it's what he would want."  
  
Maxie was pondering the situation. She was tired. She was more than just emotionally drained, she was physically tapped out. All those hours that she had spent doing extra work just to preoccupy her mind had begun to take a toll on her. She was finding herself going to sleep earlier and earlier. She was fighting to stay up as it was, using every single ounce of willpower to be there.  
  
Georgie knew the ordeal had been harsh on Maxie. She knew that Maxie couldn't take very much more of the waiting, the wondering. "Courtney's right, Maxie. You're tired, we're all tired, we should all get some rest. You and I both know that you're going to be back here first thing in the morning. And, if anything changes, someone will tell you."  
  
"I'll do it personally," Courtney offered. "I promise, if he gets any better... or any worse... you'll be the first to know."  
  
Maxie knew that Courtney would go through with her word. She was one of the nicest people that Maxie had ever met, someone that didn't have a bone in her body that would hurt someone. It wasn't hard to see why Courtney and Damian had bonded as quickly as they did. With Courtney and Georgie fighting her, or rather trying to help her, there wasn't much that she could have done to beat them. "I wish I could see him..."  
  
"Maybe you'll be able to tomorrow," Bobbie said. "You know how much we try to limit visitors when patients are just checked in for something this drastic, Maxie. Give him a few hours of recovery and then you'll surely be able to see him."  
  
"He'll know that you're thinking about him, Maxie," Mike added. "He'll feel the concern and the love that you're giving him, and it will make him stronger." Mike got out of his seat, "Why don't I take you kids home? I'm going to go crazy just sitting around here doing nothing, at least taking you back would help me get my mind off of everything."  
  
Dillon panicked inside his mind, but didn't show it at all. "You know, I think I'll just stick around for a little while longer. Monica offered me a ride home earlier anyway, Mike. No reason for you to drive me all the way to the mansion if the trip can be spared."  
  
Bobbie thought that it was odd that Dillon was waiting for a ride from Monica, who had already finished her shift. There wasn't anything big that would have forced Monica to work after hours. She had done everything that she could for Damian and there were still a handful of capable doctors that were on call. She didn't say anything to everyone, she'd find out on her own time.  
  
"If that's what you want to do, Dillon, I've got no problem with it." Mike grabbed his jacket. "Come on, girls."  
  
Georgie turned to Dillon and gave him a brief kiss on the lips, "Love you."  
  
"I love you, too," Dillon hugged her. "Maxie," He began, "it's going to be all right. Just remember that, okay?"  
  
Maxie nodded, "I'll try."  
  
Dillon shook his head, "Don't try, do." Dillon watched the three of them walk into the elevator and heard the door close. He knew that he was alone with people that he knew, but didn't really have any particular closeness towards. It was strange enough when he had Maxie and Georgie with him, now that they were gone, he felt even more excluded.  
  
"How much longer till Monica's shift ends?" Courtney asked. "I'm not trying to get all of you out or anything, I just don't want you to be staying up all night if you don't have to."  
  
"Maybe an hour or so," Dillon lied. "And its fine, Courtney. I've been to so many all night movie festivals in my life that I'm preprogrammed to stay up all night if I need to." That part wasn't a lie. Being the film buff that he was, Dillon had indeed found himself staying up all night watching old black and white movies. He enjoyed it when he got to stay up for such things, but he wasn't enjoying staying up for this.  
  
"You want to go on another coffee run?" Carly asked her best friend, looking for something, anything, to bide her time.  
  
"Is it my turn to buy?" Courtney asked.  
  
"Yeah," Carly said. "I think we've increased profits a hundred fold in the coffee department tonight."  
  
"It's still not helping very much," Courtney said softly. "I still feel extremely tired. No amount of caffeine is going to change that."  
  
"I know, but it will help us stay up until Sonny comes back." Carly looked at Dillon and Bobbie, "You guys want anything?"  
  
"No, I'm fine, Carly," Bobbie responded.  
  
"Yeah, I don't need anything either, thanks," Dillon echoed Bobbie.  
  
When the girls were gone, Bobbie eyed Dillon. She sat down in the chair next to him, which had previously been reserved for Georgie. "You know what I find odd, Dillon?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That you said Monica offered you a ride home to the mansion after her shift ended, but her shift has been over for at least an hour and a half. I know she's not here anymore, I saw her leaving when I changed out of my uniform," Bobbie could see Dillon was shifting uneasily in his chair. "What's wrong? Are you afraid to go home?"  
  
"Why would I be afraid to go home?" Dillon asked, completely on the defensive.  
  
"Dillon, the Quatermaine's would never do anything to physically harm you, but I know how belittling they can get, especially your grandfather and your mother. Are they mentally abusing you?"  
  
"Bobbie..."  
  
"Dillon, please. It's my job to help people who need it. You lied about going home for a reason. I'd like to know what it is."  
  
Dillon was caught. He should have known better than to make up a lie with the head nurse within earshot. But the Quatermaine's weren't abusing him in any way. Sure, his mother could be extremely cold hearted, but Dillon had gotten used to being subjected to the scorn, he had since learned to block it out. "I... don't have a home anymore, Bobbie."  
  
Courtney had forgotten her purse. Her mind was just so unfocused that she didn't even remember to grab it when she and Carly headed towards the cafeteria. She came back and heard Dillon admit that he no longer had a place to live. She stayed hidden behind the wall.  
  
"What do you mean, Dillon?" Bobbie questioned further.  
  
"My mom... she threw me out when I came here," Dillon didn't hide his sadness. "She said that I couldn't come here to be with my friend, my hurt friend. Jason came to the mansion to tell me what had happened and offered to give me a ride. I couldn't let my mom prevent me from being here. She told me that if I left that I shouldn't come back."  
  
"She didn't mean it," Bobbie said. "Your mother may be a cold hearted woman with no shame, but she does love you and Ned very much. She'd never exile you from her life."  
  
"She wouldn't?" Dillon asked with a scoff. "Didn't she drop me off at their doorstep because she wanted some alone time in Europe? Hasn't she done similar things to Ned in her life? Bobbie, I can't help but love my mother, she's the reason that I'm here, but that doesn't mean that I always understand why she does the things that she does."  
  
"You really think that you don't have a home that you can return to now?" Bobbie asked.  
  
"My mom doesn't enjoy making idle threats," Dillon replied. "I think she meant what she said. It's fine, though. I can handle being on my own. She would leave me alone for days at a time when I was old enough. I can take care of myself."  
  
"Did you tell Monica that she had given you that ultimatum?" Bobbie still didn't believe that Tracy could have actually meant that she no longer wanted her son to be living with her simply because Dillon cared about someone other than her. Tracy couldn't be that selfish, could she?  
  
"I try and keep the other members of my family out of my mother's way as much as possible, for their own safety as well as mine."  
  
"Well, what are you going to do now, Dillon?" Bobbie's final question wasn't one that Dillon could just brush off. "You've got no place to go."  
  
"I have some cash on me, I could get a hotel for a few nights before I'd have to really start thinking about what I was going to do."  
  
"If you need any help, you know you can just ask me, right?"  
  
"You're too nice to everyone, Bobbie."  
  
"I like helping people, Dillon. It's why I do what I do." She got up, "I've got something that I need to check up on. If Carly and Courtney come back, just tell them that I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
"Sure." Dillon watched as she left as well. Finally alone, Dillon's face quickly crushed under the weight of the situation. It was true, his mother had left him alone when he was younger, made him feel like he wasn't important enough to her. Dillon hated feeling that he wasn't worth his mother's time. It was the worst feeling he ever had. On those days he could often sit on the bed and just cry to himself. Even though he wasn't a little boy anymore, it didn't make dealing with his abandonment issues any easier. He wouldn't give Tracy the satisfaction of getting another tear from him, though. If she didn't understand what it was like to care about someone then that was her problem, not his. He was better off without her. He would finally be able to do what he wanted without fear of her belittling ways. The way she would insult him and his friends or his career choices, they would all be behind him as soon as he was out of the mansion for good. He didn't even need all the stuff that was still in the room that he had at the mansion. He could survive with just the clothes on his back.  
  
Dillon's momentary boost in confidence quickly dwindled and his mood was somber again. He couldn't do it. He didn't know the first thing about surviving on his own, not really. Even when Tracy was gone she still provided him with everything that he needed to be healthy and happy. In her own way, it was how she showed her love. Dillon wished that his mother showed her love in a much more traditional way. 


	4. Offers

Emergency Room-  
  
How long had he been there? Sonny knew that there wasn't a clock anywhere nearby, not that it mattered. A minute, an hour, a year, he'd wait as long as it took until he was able to find out what was wrong with his son and how he could make it all better. He had barely moved, and Damian hadn't moved at all. There wasn't anything that showed his son being alive aside from the sound from the monitor that he had long since blocked out for fear of it costing him his sanity and the occasional movement of Damian's chest. It was a lot different from the times when Sonny would watch the boy sleeping in the room at the penthouse. Sonny didn't know about him for so long, but the minute he found out that he had a son he knew that he couldn't be complete until they were bonded in a way that he was bonded with Michael and Morgan. If Damian did somehow manage to die on Sonny, that bond would never fully come to be. Sonny would never truly feel that his life was perfect. Because of that, Sonny knew that he couldn't allow his son to pass away. There was too much at stake for everyone involved.  
  
"They're worried about you, Sonny."  
  
Sonny saw Bobbie standing in the hallway, even though she wasn't dressed in her nursing uniform there was really no reason why she wasn't allowed to walk around her workplace. "They shouldn't be worried about me. They should be worried about him."  
  
"They're worried about Damian as well, but there's not much that we can do for him right now. We can help you."  
  
"I don't need help, Bobbie."  
  
"You don't?" She asked. "You think you can fight the grief that you're feeling all by yourself, Sonny? I know you're a proud man who can never really face up to the fact that you can't fight everything by yourself, but I was thinking that you could stop being selfish for one time in your life if your sons needed you."  
  
"What are you getting at?" Sonny didn't want to fight with his mother-in- law, especially in front of his near-comatose son. Even though Damian didn't look like he was aware of what was going on, there was no way of telling that he wasn't at least feeling the animosity.  
  
"Talk to them," She said. "You've been inside this room for hours, everyone is wondering why you haven't even come out with so much as a status report. Carly's been pacing around the room like a caged animal for the past few hours because she's so worried about how you're taking this."  
  
"Is that it?" Sonny wondered. "Is that your whole spiel, your words of wisdom?"  
  
"Sonny, we may never see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I still don't want to see you in pain. Right now you're trying to put everything on your shoulders, all the hurt that comes with being a parent that has a hurt child, all the anger that comes with wondering if there was something that you couldn't have done to stop it from happening. Everything that you're feeling right now isn't something that you have to feel and battle with just by yourself."  
  
"I'm all he has left," Sonny said. "His mother's already dead and I'm his father, that leaves me and me alone to help him through this."  
  
"You really think that you're the only one in the entire world that cares about Damian?" Bobbie asked. "What about your sister? What about your sons? What about his girlfriend? What about me?" Bobbie stopped herself from naming anymore. Sonny got the point, there were a lot of people who did care about Damian a great deal, and the way he was acting was only putting them out of his life. "Are you going to tell me that you really think that you can deal with this all by yourself?"  
  
"I can deal with a lot."  
  
"There's no denying that, but can you deal with this? Can you truthfully deal with everything that you're going through and just keeping it inside? Would your son want that?"  
  
"No, he wouldn't..."  
  
"Then maybe you should stop being the only one in here."  
  
"I'm going to stay here all night," Sonny stated firmly. "You can't keep me from watching over my son. The person who tried to do this to him could be after him again and this would be the first place that he would look."  
  
"We have security..."  
  
"Your security here isn't good enough, Bobbie," Sonny said. "Not for me. Don't try and fight me on this, please."  
  
"I won't," Bobbie said. "If you don't try and fight me on walking outside of this room and showing the people that you care about, the people that care about you, that you're not going to be the only one who can be around your son."  
  
"I don't want to leave him alone," Sonny said.  
  
"I can stay with him again, Sonny. I don't mind."  
  
"Bobbie... you say that they're worried about me... but how are they when it comes to him?"  
  
"I've told them everything that I've seen since he was brought in," Bobbie glanced at the heart rate monitor, seeing that everything seemed to be at a safe level. "But that's only caused them to be a little bit relaxed with the situation. It's not like I can tell them that everything is going to be okay when we're not entirely sure if everything will be okay. I told them that he was likely going to survive. I also know that Michael's not exactly having the easiest time dealing with this right now."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Jason's watching him because he's afraid that when he wakes up in the morning he'll find out that his brother is never coming home."  
  
Hearing that bit of news only made Sonny want to find the person that did this to Damian and kill that person without second thought. He didn't voice the desire, although it was plastered on his face. "Are they still waiting around?"  
  
"Carly, Courtney and Dillon are the only ones that are still here," Bobbie told Sonny. "Mike would have stayed, but Maxie and Georgie needed a ride home and he offered to take them."  
  
"What about Ric?"  
  
"He left," Bobbie's voice wasn't exactly filled with grief over the fact that Ric was gone. "Elizabeth asked to be taken home and he said that he'd do it." Bobbie checked the IV, making sure that it was secure. "I'm surprised that you let your brother stick around, Sonny."  
  
"I only did it because Damian thinks that Ric is family. That doesn't mean that I'll ever forgive Ric for the horrible things he's done to all of us, but I couldn't shove him out knowing that my unconscious son would have wanted him to be around. That's the only reason that Ric was allowed to take a step inside the hospital."  
  
"He's driven by a strange sensibility, isn't he?" Bobbie asked.  
  
"He's driven by a purity that I never thought I'd find in anyone who was tainted by my blood."  
  
"Sonny..."  
  
"No, Bobbie, don't even try to hide the fact. We all know that I'm no saint." Sonny opened the door, "I'll be back as soon as I can be."  
  
"I'll be right here."  
  
"If anything happens..."  
  
"I'll have you paged over the intercom system," Bobbie cut in. "Sonny, I'm not going to be vindictive and keep you from knowing information about your son that every parent should know."  
  
"I'm just not used to trusting people..."  
  
"I know, and you need to work on that."  
  
"I don't know if I can..." Sonny walked out, closing the door behind him.  
  
Bobbie sat down in the chair, "Neither do I."  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
Courtney had come out of her hiding space, trying not to look suspicious. She was the wife of Jason Morgan, she should have known how to play face.  
  
Dillon, to his credit, didn't look as hurt as he had when he was giving his confession to Bobbie. It must have been a rare moment for the boy, she thought. He and the rest of the Quatermaine's were almost always taught to never let anyone but the family see their emotions. She understood how they worked, although she never liked the system that they lived by. Courtney walked up and reached down for her purse, "I forgot this..."  
  
Dillon looked up before he turned his eyes down again, "I wasn't going to steal it or anything."  
  
"I'd never think that you would try and steal something from me, Dillon." She took a step forward, "Not only because if you did my husband would hunt you down and hurt you, but because I know that you're a good kid."  
  
"I still can't believe that Jason isn't here."  
  
Courtney agreed, but she also understood what made her husband tick. "Jason can't stand being here. It brings back too many memories of the only things that he can remember. He always sees the doctors not knowing what was wrong with him and seeing his family looking at him, hoping that there would be something that they could cling onto and bring the old Jason back."  
  
"I like Jason a lot more now that he's not involved with them," Dillon said. "I can't really remember him very much from when I was little, but I know that he's a lot more confident in himself now than he ever was when he was living at the mansion. It's like that place sucks up every ounce of life that it can from anyone. Jason was lucky that he got out when he did. Lucky that he got the chance to decide if he wanted to leave or not."  
  
"Would you take it if you got the chance?" Courtney asked.  
  
Dillon looked at her. How did she know? Did she know? Was he just being paranoid? "I've never felt accepted by them, Courtney. I don't try and find acceptance from the Quatermaine's, but it would be nice to know that I did something in my life that actually made them proud of me. I don't know why I care... the kind of pride that they value comes from being a type of person that I just don't want to be."  
  
"Look, I'm not good at trying to be subtle, so I'll just come out and say that I heard you talking with Bobbie..."  
  
"Great..."  
  
"Dillon, I'm sorry that they don't accept you being the type of person that you want to be. Believe me when I say that I know what it's like to be different from the people that you care about."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well, look around my life... my brother and my husband aren't exactly running around with the best intentions in life. But I accept that they're not going to conform to what I want them to be and they're not going to expect me to do the same for them. If the Quatermaine's can't agree that you should be allowed to be your own person then it's a good thing that Tracy asked you to leave."  
  
"Well, it would have been nice if I had been given a little bit of a warning," Dillon said. "I mean, it's not like I have a place to stay..."  
  
"You're welcome to come home with me," Courtney said. "I don't want to think about you running around Port Charles looking for a place to stay or sleeping in a cheap motel room."  
  
"Jason wouldn't like that," Dillon said.  
  
"How do you know that?" Courtney asked. "Think about it, Dillon. Jason's going to be the only person on the planet who understands what you're going through. He knows what it's like to be pushed away by the Quatermaine's and their expectations."  
  
Dillon didn't think about it very hard. Even facing off against Jason was better than living on the streets. Besides, Courtney was right, Jason would know what he was going through. Maybe they could be kindred spirits. Anything to get out of the mansion. "I'll pay you back someday..."  
  
"You don't need to," Courtney smiled. "I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do, not because I'm looking for repayment."  
  
Sonny turned around the corner. Courtney and Dillon both looked at him, faces blank. Sonny's face was impossible to read. Was everything okay? 


	5. She Wouldn't Survive on a Couch

Kayla- Here's hoping you move onto part 2 of the story, but I can promise you that there will be no amnesia.  
  
Journeylove- Sonny's a character that you love too much to hate, this is so true. I am disappointed in him very much for the actions that he has taken, especially against Courtney, but at the same time I know he's lashing out because he's so worried about the boy, being Michael since we're talking about the show. Unlike a lot of people, I happen to like Sam as well, she's amusing. I don't like her with Sonny all that much, because of what she does with S/C, which should not be tampered with, but on her own she's an interesting character. People that I know loathe her, though, and I don't really understand why. It's true that a part of the reason I may find myself gravitating towards her is because of her role on Port Charles, which had Vampires and I like Vampires so I could be playing favorites. Here's a little snippet for you: I watched PC before I ever thought I would watch GH, because of said Vamps, but when I learned that PC was getting the ax I just decided that I should try to watch GH in case anyone came from the show once it was canned. Now look where we're at... Oh, and that baby had better be Jax's! Heh, Damian will be back by the end of next week, I promise. He's 30 pages or so ahead when he finally comes around, so that could be awhile depending on how long the other chapters are, but since I'm posting two a day, you never know.  
  
Story-  
  
Sonny, in an idle part of his mind, had wondered what was going on between his little sister and Dillon Quatermaine. Of course, he never would have thought that Courtney was doing anything that would hurt Jason, especially with someone like Dillon. The boy wasn't even of age. Courtney was young and beautiful, but she just wouldn't do something like have an affair. So, that begged the question as to why they were sitting next to each other, apparently engaged in some sort of conversation. But, Sonny knew that such a question could wait since it was more important that he do the right thing and tell them what he had seen while he was with his son. Even if he hadn't seen anything at all it was still something that they would have wanted to know. However, he didn't want to do anything without Carly being by his side. It was like he had become dependant on her once again. When he was in Damian's room, at his son's bedside he was living a nightmare and he could only depend on himself. Now that he was outside in the world again he didn't have the same resolve that he appeared to have.  
  
"Courtney," Carly came up with two cups of coffee in her hands, "you owe me for this one. I just didn't feel like waiting." Carly saw that Sonny was standing there and she almost dropped the coffee to be with her husband, but she instead managed to put them both on the nearby table before hugging him in her arms as tightly as possible, afraid that if she let go Sonny would leave her again. "Sonny... we've been waiting for you."  
  
"I know," Sonny replied. "I'm sorry that I kept you all waiting as long as I did."  
  
"We know that you're going through a lot right now, but you don't have to go through it alone. We're all here to help you," Carly refused to let go.  
  
Dillon didn't exactly see himself as part of Sonny's support system, but he could see that Sonny was in pain and his heart did go out to the man that was worrying about the possibilities of his son dying. However, since he knew that he was not part of the 'family' as it were, he didn't really have a place just talking to Sonny. He kept his mouth shut, for fear of a number of things. Setting Sonny off being the one that he was most afraid of.  
  
"Carly, you can let go," Sonny said, somewhat straining under the unusually strong grip of his wife.  
  
"Not until you promise that you're not going anywhere."  
  
"If I promise that I'm not going to be going anywhere will you let me breathe?" Sonny asked, somewhat sarcastically. It was good to know that he still had access to his skewered humor. "Because, if so, I promise."  
  
Carly let go, "Sorry... you know how I get when I'm worried about you."  
  
"You shouldn't be worried about me," Sonny knew that his wife's focus would be on him, and while he expected it, he still didn't like it. Sure, Carly and Damian were friends now, but she still didn't care for him as much as Damian cared for her. Even though the boy had never outright said it, he did begin to find himself looking to Carly in a different light. Not something that would ever replace his mother, but perhaps find a way to cope with the loss of Ana-Maria. Carly was a very loveable person once she showed that she wasn't all fangs and attitude. Carly was no longer acting like the she-devil that she could be around Damian, but she still hadn't opened up in the way that Sonny wanted her to. It was made even more obvious of that fact when she ended up being more concerned over him than Sonny's own son. Damian was always concerning himself with a boy that wasn't even blood related to him, but still saw him as his younger brother. That was the entire reason why they were all there. If Michael had been hit, god forbid, Sonny knew for a fact that Damian would have been waiting around for as long as it took. Sonny wasn't disgusted in Carly's attitude, but he was disappointed.  
  
"Sonny," Courtney came to the defense of her best friend, "we all know how you can get when you're worried about something. What could cause you more pain than realizing that you couldn't be there to protect someone that you love? Carly is worried about Damian we all are, but as much as we hate to tell ourselves otherwise, there's nothing we can do to help him right now. We can help you right now, though. We will help you right now because we care about you so much."  
  
Dillon was observing from his seat. The way that they all rallied around each other was fascinating. Even though the Quatermaine's were like that as well when they were faced with a crisis situation they didn't seem as genuine about how they felt. It was ironic, the town viewed Sonny and Jason as cold blooded killers who couldn't feel anything, but Sonny was showing everyone that they were wrong. Sonny could feel pain. Sonny was showing that better than Dillon had ever seen just about anyone before in his life. Maybe he was making the right decision... he was going to find himself being around Sonny more now that he was going to be housing himself with Jason. If Jason actually agreed to the idea of having a teenage ward around the house. Besides, it wasn't going to be for that long. Dillon was going to be out of school soon, and he would be going to a college, far away from the Quatermaine's, and far away from Jason as well. Unless he ended up sticking around and doing nothing with his life. Dillon didn't enjoy that idea at all, but he knew that it was a possibility.  
  
Sonny, on some level, knew that his little sister was right. Carly had every right to be worried about her husband, they should have come first in their relationship, only behind their children. Sonny's child was not necessarily Carly's child, so Carly's top priority would have been her husband. It didn't mean that Carly did not care about what was going on with Damian. For all Sonny knew, she could have been petrified by the idea of losing her step-son. It wasn't likely, but it was possible. "I'm sorry, Carly."  
  
Carly shook her head, "Its okay, Sonny. I understand on some level what you're going through. I try and think about what I would have been doing if Michael had been the one that got hit by that truck, if it were my son, our son, that was in the bed. I wouldn't be able to keep myself contained. I'd be so afraid. But I also know that you would find a way to beat your own fears about losing our boy just to be there and comfort me. I want to do the same for you, Sonny. You're the greatest man in my life, and I want you to know that."  
  
"I do," Sonny said simply. "You know that I love you, right?"  
  
"I never doubted it for a moment." Carly hugged him again, albeit much lighter and less air constricting, "We'll find a way to get through this together, Sonny. We won't let you battle everything alone."  
  
Courtney watched the two have a moment. No matter their problems, which they almost always seemed to be going through at least one at any given time, they still loved each other very much and would jump over hurdles of fire if it meant that they would save the other. If she and Jason had problems that were that all-encompassing, would they be able to do the same? Should she even be worrying about such a thing? Shouldn't she be grateful that her marriage was as strong as it was? Even with the conflicting morals, they managed to have as great a relationship as they possibly could.  
  
Shelving those dark and unfamiliar thoughts, Courtney focused on the matter at hand, "How's Damian?"  
  
"I don't really know," Sonny focused his attentions on Courtney. "Bobbie's with him again right now while I spend some time out here, but there hasn't been a single change in his condition since I've started watching him. I've done everything that I could think of, Courtney. I've tried talking to him, putting my hand on his head hoping for a reaction, hoping that he would feel my warmth and wake up. The only thing I haven't tried to do is shake him awake, since that probably wouldn't be the best thing."  
  
"He'll come around, Sonny," Courtney was being positive, and she did believe what she was saying on some level, but that didn't mean that she completely believed it. Part of it was denial, part of it was hopeless optimism. "Right now his body is probably going through all the motions and it just hasn't recovered enough for him to get up. I know I'm no doctor, but that's what I think is happening."  
  
Courtney was smart, Sonny conceded this fact, but she really had no place talking about such technical terms without any sort of knowledge in her background. Of course, Sonny knew that she was only trying to help. Sonny couldn't, and wouldn't hold it against her for doing something that she thought in her mind was right. "Listen, as much as I appreciate you all hanging around me, trying to act as a support unit for me and my son, there's really nothing that you can do here tonight."  
  
"We'll come back in the morning," Carly said.  
  
"Yeah, you will," Sonny agreed.  
  
"Sonny..."  
  
"Don't, Carly," Sonny cut her off in a hurry. "I am going to make sure that I am by my son's bedside at least for tonight. I don't trust the people here to keep him safe. I don't trust much of the staff outside of your mother to not be in on trying to hurt him. The only way that I can protect him is if I'm the one that watches over him."  
  
"I could stay here with you, too," Carly said. "I could just sleep on the couch in the waiting room."  
  
"You, sleep on a couch?"  
  
"I've done it before," Carly did not enjoy how Sonny was picking her apart, even if he was doing it as a mental diversionary tactic.  
  
Sonny shook his head, "Michael will need one of us to be with him tonight and probably tomorrow morning as well. Jason's watching him right now, and Michael trusts Jason fully, but you're still his mother."  
  
"Michael knows that I'm not as warm towards Damian as everyone else in the family."  
  
"Still, he'll look to you." Sonny asked Courtney for help, "Don't you agree, Courtney?"  
  
Courtney didn't relish being put in the middle of the conversation that was going on. She hadn't being a second hand factor in the fights that Sonny and Carly had. She should have stayed out of it, but she couldn't just ignore what was going on. Besides, Sonny did have a point. "Michael will want one of his parents to be at his side tonight, Carly. And he'll know that Damian is too important to Sonny for Sonny to just leave alone for the night."  
  
"I don't want to leave..."  
  
"Carly," Sonny held her, "you have to do this for me. You have to give me the space that I'm asking for right now, the space that I need. I'm not asking for the world. I'm asking you to go home and get some rest, you need it."  
  
"You need rest, too."  
  
"I don't get much sleep, you know that." Sonny gave that brief grin that told Carly that he was going to be okay. It could have been a lie, but she couldn't call him into question at that moment. She knew that Sonny would view it as a sort of betrayal, and Sonny hated being betrayed more than anything else  
  
"Fine," Carly finally submitted. "But I don't have to like this idea of me leaving you alone."  
  
"No, you don't, but you should do it anyway."  
  
"Which is why I'm going." Carly kissed Sonny on the lips. "If you need me to come back, just have someone call the house and I will be back here before you even get a chance to hang up the phone."  
  
"I know you will, Carly. Thanks."  
  
Courtney hugged Sonny, "Dad wanted me to tell you that he really appreciates the call. If he hadn't have taken Maxie and Georgie home he would have been here, too."  
  
"I'm sure he'll be back in the morning," Sonny said, and he wasn't trying to sound like he didn't want the outcome to happen. He wanted his father around, as rare an occurrence as it was.  
  
Dillon got up from the chair and walked past Sonny. Sonny grabbed his shoulder, which caused a chill to run down Dillon's spine. What had he done to set Sonny off? He was just sitting there, being quiet. Maybe Sonny didn't like people being quiet. "Whatever it is I did, I'm sorry!" Dillon said, his voice shaking.  
  
"You didn't do anything, kid. I just wanted to extend my appreciation that you stuck around like you did. You're a good friend, my son is lucky to have you as one." Sonny's brown eyes were implanted in Dillon's mind.  
  
"I'm lucky to have him, too," Dillon responded. "I hope he gets better by the morning."  
  
The trio left the hospital and Sonny was alone. He looked around. It was late, the hospital was working with as few staff members as it could. It was like he was alone in the world. That was how he felt at that moment anyway. 


	6. That Boy with the Hair

Note: Sure, this is kind of 'Morgan Penthouse'-ish, and I really did like that story, but I don't think I'm stealing the idea...  
  
Story-  
  
Outside the Penthouse Towers-  
  
Since they had arrived separately, Carly and Courtney had also left separately. However, Courtney had an extra passenger in the car that she did not have when she first game to the hospital, Dillon. Carly had figured that Courtney was going to take Dillon home, since he apparently didn't want to wait for Monica to go back to the mansion. She knew that she certainly wasn't going to be traveling to the Quatermaine mansion anytime soon. She wasn't exactly welcome there, nor did she really want to be. Courtney was at least on good terms with the Quatermaine's, even after her relationship with AJ had dissolved. Besides, she was married to Jason. But, when Carly noticed that Courtney was still following her, and had come back home with Dillon in the passengers side of her car, she became suspicious.  
  
"Do you want Jason to take Dillon home or something?" Carly asked Courtney.  
  
Courtney, who was still in her car, looked at Dillon and gave him a look that told him to stay in the car and stay quiet. She knew that Carly would probably initially object to her offer that she made to Dillon, but Dillon was staying at Courtney's house, not Carly's. "I know that asking Jason to go to the Quatermaine's for something like that wouldn't exactly be looked upon with any degree of fondness, Carly."  
  
"So why is Dillon still in the car?" Carly asked. "Did you need to get something before you took him home?"  
  
"The thing is," Courtney began uneasily, "Dillon is home, Carly."  
  
"I don't see the Quatermaine mansion anywhere around here," Carly scoffed. "They may have a lot of money, and they may own most of Port Charles, but they don't own our home."  
  
"I know that," Courtney countered. "I made Dillon the offer that he could live with me and Jason... he accepted."  
  
"What?!" Carly almost yelled, her voice seething. "Courtney, you can't have a teenager living in the penthouse with you and Jason. You know what Jason and Sonny do, you can't have Dillon running around and finding out personal information like that!"  
  
"Carly, everyone knows what Jason and Sonny do," Courtney defended her moral standing. "Think about it, the Quatermaine's are all well aware of the fact that our husbands are criminals who do a whole lot of immoral things. Not that they have any right to talk about being righteous and pure, but it's not like Dillon's blind to the truth."  
  
"It's still a bad idea..."  
  
"He doesn't have anywhere else to go, Carly!" Courtney declared.  
  
"What are you talking about? Lila would never throw one of her family members out of the house. For Gods sake, she's still letting Tracy live there."  
  
"Tracy kicked him out," Courtney said. "When Jason went to the mansion to tell Dillon what had happened Dillon wanted to come to the hospital to be with the people that were worried about Damian. Tracy told him that if he left he wouldn't be welcomed back."  
  
"Tracy's always making stupid little threats like that, Courtney. It's a game that she plays. She doesn't have a life of her own so she has to spend every waking moment that she can making our lives hell to make up for it." Carly looked over at Dillon, who had also looked at her before averting his eyes in a hurry. Carly, in that one moment, had become more intimidating than Sonny and Jason combined. "He's not family..."  
  
"He's Jason's family."  
  
"Jason doesn't view any of the Quatermaine's as family except for Emily and Lila!" Carly pointed out. It was a fair point.  
  
"He's my cousin through marriage," Courtney said. "He's also Michael's cousin."  
  
"Michael is not a Quatermaine, you should have known better than to point that out!"  
  
"Carly, I can't stand around and let Dillon roam the streets homeless just because of something so trivial as lineage!" Courtney was angry that Carly was still fighting her. Courtney really did think that Carly would have given up by then. "Look, I don't want to fight you right now."  
  
"You haven't even told Jason that you made this little decision without his approval or input, have you?"  
  
"No, and you're not going to tell him, either..." Courtney said.  
  
"Oh, but I am..."  
  
"No," Courtney was forceful. "Carly, I'm not involved in the problems that go on in your marriage until I have to be, until you come begging for me to help you out with something. How many times have I managed to help you and Sonny get through something?"  
  
Carly rolled her eyes, "More times than I can count."  
  
"And have I ever called in a favor when it came to my marriage?"  
  
Carly knew that she didn't have a leg to stand on. She had to give up. "If Jason asks for my opinion on this I am going to tell him what I think, okay?"  
  
"Fine... but until then, please, let me try and do this on my own."  
  
"Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this?" Carly asked. "You and I both know that this isn't the environment that a teenager should be living in. I'm sure that we could convince one of the Quatermaine's to talk some sense into Tracy."  
  
"You know that's impossible," Courtney replied smugly. "Once Tracy's made up her mind there's no turning back. Besides, I want to help Dillon. We need members of the Quatermaine's who aren't tainted by the life that they lead. Jason managed to get out and it did wonders for him, why shouldn't Dillon be allowed the same chance? If we keep him in that mansion he's just going to turn into another Edward. Do you really want that?"  
  
The idea sent a shiver down Carly's spine. She didn't want that. She was slowly becoming a supporter of the idea that Courtney had cooked up. In the end, though, it was Jason's decision. Even Sonny couldn't tell Jason who he let live in his own house. Sonny could bar Dillon from their penthouse, and he probably would, but if Jason wanted a ward, which he probably didn't, there was really no way of stopping him. "You know how I've told you that your moral sensibilities are often the strongest part of your being?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Sometimes those morals are the hardest thing for me to understand," Carly smiled. "But... if you think that this is the right thing to do... I know I can't stop you."  
  
"Give me five minutes to get Dillon in the penthouse," Courtney requested. "Until then, don't let Jason out of your house."  
  
"Five minutes... nothing more," Carly went for the elevator, which opened almost instantly as she got in, shaking her head at Courtney before the doors closed.  
  
Dillon got out of the car and sighed, "Courtney... I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't want you to get into a fight with the people that you really care about over me."  
  
"Who said I don't care about you?" Courtney asked.  
  
"Come on, Courtney," Dillon began, "it's not like we spend time together at Christmas or anything."  
  
"Well, maybe we can start. Jason doesn't really get into the whole tree thing. Perhaps the two of us could manage to break him down and we could get a really nice one."  
  
"You're enjoying this too much, you know that," Dillon smirked. "What am I going to do if Jason doesn't want me to live with you two?"  
  
"Leave that to me." Courtney closed the passenger door, "We'd better get into the penthouse..."  
  
Corinthos Household-  
  
Carly walked in. Even though it was really late at night, Jason was still up, reading a magazine. Carly walked over and hugged him, "Jase... make the day end. Please, just make it all go away." Even though she was supposed to be stalling for time, that request was entirely founded. There was nothing that Courtney had asked her to do or say that had caused that reaction. She wanted Jason to take everything and make it better, like he had done so many times before.  
  
"I wish I could, Carly," Jason admitted. "But I can't fix everything. You know that. I know that, too, even though I don't always have the easiest time accepting it."  
  
"How's my Mr. Man?" Carly asked, wiping away a single frustrated tear.  
  
"I wouldn't go into his room right now. He's turned it into a war zone."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Everything is scattered around the room, Carly. He just lashed out because of what had happened and the things that got in his way were scattered. Nothing's broken, I don't think, but the room is a mess."  
  
Carly sighed, "He shouldn't have such outburst, he knows better than that."  
  
"Carly, he's a scared little boy who is worried about his brother. I don't think I would have acted any differently if I had been his age..."  
  
Carly eyed the clock. She still had a minute that she needed to give Courtney. "Sonny's... going to stay at the hospital for the night."  
  
"I had a feeling he would," Jason nodded. "Sonny loves his children more than anything. He wouldn't just leave them alone if they were hurt."  
  
"He's scaring me, Jason," Carly admitted. "I know how he gets when he starts to think about the things that he's done, the ways that he's managed to fail. What if he has another breakdown?"  
  
"We won't let that happen."  
  
"What if we can't stop him?"  
  
"We will."  
  
"My mom was with Damian, so was Monica..."  
  
Jason turned an eye as he heard the name of his adopted mother. "Monica's one of the best people that they have on the staff at the hospital, she probably did everything that she could."  
  
"I was surprised that you went back to the mansion... I know how much you hate being around them."  
  
"Dillon had a right to know," Jason blankly replied. "Damian would have wanted his best friend to know that he was hurt. I did it for Damian, nobody else." Jason changed the subject, as he almost always did when the subject of the Quatermaine's came up. "Where's Courtney? Did she stay at the hospital a little longer?"  
  
"No, she's at your house."  
  
"Why didn't she just come here?" Jason wondered.  
  
"Because she had something she needed to take care of," Carly replied nervously.  
  
Jason knew when Carly was keeping secrets from him, or making a pitiful attempt at it, at least. "Carly..."  
  
"I can't tell you, Jason. I promised Courtney I would let her be the one that told you everything."  
  
"Everything about what?" Jason didn't like not knowing things. It reminded him too much of the accident.  
  
"Go and find out for yourself," Carly suggest. "She should be ready now..."  
  
Jason headed for the door, "This had better be good..."  
  
"Jason, thanks."  
  
Jason's anger curbed for a moment. In that single instance he allowed himself to take Carly's gratitude. He only gave a slight nod of his head before he left.  
  
Morgan Household-  
  
Courtney wasn't even going to try and make herself seem like she was busy. Jason would see through it. He had probably already broken Carly down. Courtney wasn't sure what she was thinking, asking Carly of all people to keep a secret around Jason. Dillon was already crashed in the guestroom. He didn't have anything to wear, but he said it was fine. The poor boy...  
  
Jason came in and saw Courtney standing around. "What did you do this time?" Jason asked.  
  
"Carly told you?" Courtney rolled her eyes.  
  
"No, Carly told me that I needed to talk to you about something. So, what is it?"  
  
"You went to the mansion today..."  
  
"What's that have to do with anything?" Jason asked. "I went because I had an obligation to a member of my family, of our family..."  
  
"Did you know that Tracy gave Dillon an ultimatum..." Courtney asked.  
  
"Tracy does that with everyone, why should it surprise me?"  
  
"Because Dillon was kicked out of the mansion when he decided that his friendship with Damian meant more than being told that he couldn't go see his friend." Courtney sighed, "He doesn't have a place to stay."  
  
Jason had an idea of where the train of thought was going. "No... Courtney, there is no way..."  
  
"Jason... please. I don't want to see him walking around the streets, homeless."  
  
"He's not our responsibility!" Jason shot back. "Where is he?"  
  
"Sleeping in the guest room..."  
  
"He's out, tomorrow morning he's gone."  
  
"Jason... think about this for a moment, would you? He's so much like you. A Quatermaine, but so much different, so much kinder. Do you want to see him get destroyed by that family the same way that they tried to destroy you? Do you want to see them stomp out the spark of individuality that Dillon's somehow managing to hold onto? Haven't you wished that they could be different, be something other than what they are to you? Now you have that chance... don't throw it away."  
  
Jason was silent. He tried to keep his eyes away from Courtney. They were so pure, so full of reason, reason that he couldn't debate. "I'll think about it."  
  
Courtney hugged him. She had at least partially won. 


	7. Limits

Note: 200+ reviews! Counting both stories, of course, but nonetheless, yay!  
  
Journeylove- I'd rather not see Michael suffer anymore than he already has on the show. You know that they're switching Morgan's, right? The new set of babies don't look as cute, now I can't look at the television and go 'cute monkey!' It's a very sad thing.  
  
After all the angst and drama I've been putting the collective clan through for the past... well, the chapter count is pretty big and I'd rather not actually go back and count, I figured that I needed a little bit of humor to lighten up the mood and keep people from reaching for razors while they read my story. You're not being rude, and I appreciate the criticism of Damian's purity. I have something in store that will cause a tainting of that purity, but it's nothing big. I guess if you want something super huge then I'm afraid I'll have to say that it won't be delivered, since I'm coming towards the end of the story (the writing section, posting's still got some time to go). Should I ever do a sequel, which is unlikely since, as much as I love doing this, I don't think I should devote myself to a single story for over half a year, I might do something of the like, but I won't get your hopes up. Yes, I promise (promise!) that Damian will not end up like Jason, he'll remember stuff and whatnot. Everything will be fine with him mentally. Emotionally and physically are two other sections entirely, but his mind will be intact.  
  
Story-  
  
The Next Morning, General Hospital-  
  
Sonny knew a thing or two about sleepless nights. He'd had more than his fair share of them in his life, but almost all those times that he was staying up it was because he was fighting his demons. He never wanted to stay up all night because he was worrying about someone, but that was what had happened to him the night before. He couldn't sleep. He didn't even try to sleep. He was afraid that if he closed his eyes, if he let his guard drop even for a minute, someone would take his son away from him, either physically or spiritually. The only way that Sonny was going to protect Damian was if he constantly stayed and watched.  
  
There was no change in Damian's condition, which was both a good and a bad thing. He hadn't gotten any worse, but conversely he hadn't gotten any better. Sonny wanted him to be awake, wanted him to open his eyes. Nothing he tried was working, though. That was the most maddening part of the situation, knowing that he couldn't fix the problem that he had to deal with.  
  
Bobbie had only gotten a marginal amount of rest over the night. She was worried, too. However, she knew that the things she was feeling were very small when compared to the pain that Sonny was going through. She had a job to do as well, a job that meant that she would have to ask Sonny to leave. It could have ended up being a long battle between the two, but Bobbie hoped that Sonny would understand that she wasn't doing what she was doing to hurt Sonny but to help Damian instead.  
  
"We've finished monitoring him," Bobbie said as she walked into the room. "We hope that he's had enough time to recover that we can do some examinations on his body without complications."  
  
"What, you're saying that there's still a way that he could be hurt by the examinations that you're going to put him through?"  
  
"There's always that chance, Sonny," Bobbie said lightly. "No matter what we do, there is never anything that can be done to ensure that it isn't going to do something that could hurt the patient. But we take all the necessary precautions and then some extra ones just to be on the safe side. We're going to do our best for Damian, but we need to take him..."  
  
"I can't go with him, can I?" Sonny asked.  
  
"No, I'm sorry... you can't. This isn't like a pregnancy, Sonny. As much as you're going to hate me for saying it, people who aren't trained to deal with the problem are only going to get in the way of fixing the problem at hand. I understand that you love your son, and I appreciate the fact that you want to come with him, but you can't do it right now." Bobbie put a hand on Sonny's back, "I'm going to be looking over everything as closely as I can. I'll take care of him the same way I would take care of Michael and Morgan."  
  
That filled Sonny with a slim amount of ease. He knew that Bobbie would fight to protect her grandsons with every fiber of her being. That she was making the promise for his own son, who wasn't her grandchild in any way, was comforting. "I'm not going to leave the hospital."  
  
"I wouldn't expect you to," Bobbie stated. "In fact, I'd be offended if you did. Maybe you can take this time to call the family, tell them that we're taking him in for some tests. I know they want any updates that they can get."  
  
"Yeah," Sonny grabbed his jacket, which had been draped over the chair, "I think I should do that, too. How long is this going to take, Bobbie?"  
  
"I don't know for sure," She thought about it, estimating all the times that average operations took in her head. "A few hours, at least." She knew that Sonny hated to wait. "You might want to get something to eat. The cafeteria isn't the best, but some of the things we have are edible."  
  
"I might just do that," Sonny walked out of the door. "Do everything that you can for him, Bobbie. I don't care what it costs, just do it. As long as it doesn't put his health at considerable risk, take the chance."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," She watched a few doctors come into the room and prep Damian's unconscious body for the examinations that he was going to be going through. It wasn't going to be anything that was too drastic. A few tests to determine if he had any broken bones or internal bleeding, and a scan of his brainwaves to make sure that he was still functioning properly. Bobbie hated the idea that they were testing such a bright and capable young man for the possibility of being turned into a vegetable, but it was a possibility that she had to take seriously.  
  
Monica came in shortly after. She wasn't really supposed to be on call, but she had volunteered for the inspection, knowing that Sonny would want the best. It wasn't egotism when she said that she was the best that was on staff at the hospital, it was just a fact. Besides, she had more at stake than angering Sonny Corinthos. She knew that Michael would be crushed if the man that he viewed as his big brother were to just leave him without any explanation. There was also the thing with Dillon, who hadn't come home the night before to her knowledge. "That went better than I was expecting."  
  
"Sonny's a stubborn man." Bobbie said before adding, "But he loves his children more than life itself. He would never do anything that would place them in any danger."  
  
"Aside from live the life that he does, you mean," Monica countered coldly. There would always be that animosity towards Sonny. He was part of the reason why Michael would never call her 'grandma.' She wouldn't use that small amount of contempt against him or his son, but that didn't mean that it wasn't there.  
  
"That's Sonny's decision to make," Bobbie defended her son-in-law, something that she rarely did, but would do if she felt that it was right. "We don't have the right to tell anyone how they should live their lives."  
  
Monica ignored the issues that were to be had. They were personal issues, and she would never let the personal issues get in the way of saving lives. "I checked the readings, he's managed to get a little stronger over the night."  
  
"Is it enough so that we won't have to worry as much about putting him through all of this?"  
  
"Just barely," Monica had seen people fight for their lives more times than she wanted to count. Sometimes they had been family, sometimes friends, sometimes complete strangers, but they all had the desire to not die. "The sooner we get him into the examination room, the better." She looked at the two other doctors, "Wheel him in, please."  
  
Bobbie went to follow them but she stopped. Everything was getting to be so real to her. The threat of losing someone, the threat of it having a huge impact on her family. She didn't want that to happen.  
  
"Bobbie?" Monica noticed that Bobbie wasn't acting like herself. She knew why, too. "If you feel that you can't do this, Bobbie, you know that you're supposed to let someone else handle the duties. You're the head nurse. You have the most seniority, but don't use that to compromise the situation."  
  
"I won't," Bobbie said confidently. "I can't let this get to me."  
  
"If you ever change your mind, know that nobody is going to be looking down on you for doing it," Monica knew what it was like to worry about someone the way Bobbie was. "We'd all act the same way."  
  
"Thanks, Monica." The two women shared a brief, comforting smile before they both walked out of the room, which was now empty.  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
Sonny had been walking, but he hadn't been paying much attention. The hospital was so alive, people were walking around left and right, others were being paged over the intercom system, but none of that mattered to Sonny. To him, everything was silent, dead. He could see what was going on around him, but he couldn't feel it at all.  
  
"Michael..."  
  
Sonny heard his father's voice and found it odd that of all the people that would snap him out of his haze, it would be Mike. Sonny turned around and saw that Mike was the only one that was even around. His light blue eyes did nothing to hide the fatigue that he was feeling. Sonny wondered what was going on. "How long have you been here, Mike?"  
  
"Only a few hours," Mike replied. "I couldn't sleep. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't fight off the feeling that I needed to be here more than I needed to be sleeping."  
  
Sonny wasn't surprised that Mike's conscience was telling him to be with his family. What surprised Sonny was the fact that Mike had finally listened to the little nagging voice when it came to that particular topic. Mike had never really been the best father in the world to either he or Courtney. He was trying to make up for it by being a better grandfather. So far, it was working. "I'm sorry that I didn't see you when you were here yesterday and earlier today," Sonny said. "I just couldn't bring myself to be outside of that room unless I had to be."  
  
"You don't have to apologize for that, Michael," Mike said. "I understand why you did it, and I respect the drive that you have to be there for your son. I envy it, in fact."  
  
"No reason you shouldn't," Sonny replied. A flare of anger and disappointment came back. Sonny saw his father and he saw all the years of pain and sorrow that had been caused. He realized that he would never be able to truly forgive Mike for doing what he did. "This isn't the place to bring up old issues though, Mike. Whatever it is that we still have to work out can wait. I want you to know that I appreciate the fact that you're here right now."  
  
"Was there any chance over the night?" Mike wondered.  
  
"Nothing considerable," Sonny answered. "I've been trying to reach out to him through every possible way that I could think of. I've tried talking to him, touching his forehead... but nothing's got even so much as a twitch out of him. I've never been so afraid of losing someone before in my life."  
  
"You can't think like that," Mike knew that Sonny could be dangerous when he was busy doing the self-pity thing. It would compromise everything that Sonny was trying to do. It would hurt Damian more than it would help him. "Just try and look on the positive side of things, Sonny, it's the only thing that you can do."  
  
"The only thing I can do right now is wait," Sonny said. "They're taking him into one of the rooms where they do the examinations. They're going to see if he's got any broken bones or internal bleeding. They're going to tell me if my son will ever be the same again."  
  
"I..."  
  
"And what if he isn't?" Sonny asked. "What if he ends up like Jason? What if all the work that we've put into making ourselves a family just ends up being tossed out the window? What if he loses everything that made him the person that he was? What if he can't play the piano, or can't remember any of the things that he learned in all those classes he took? Worst of all... what if he wakes up and he's just like me? I can't look at my son and see someone that I want to go through the same life that I do. I always wanted something better for all my children."  
  
"Stop it," Mike pleaded. "You can't keep on thinking like that, Michael. He's going to be fine. Damian is driven by the strongest desire that I've ever seen. No amount of accidents is going to make him lose the individuality that he has. I know that for a fact."  
  
For that brief moment, Sonny looked at Mike and believed that he was telling the truth. In that one second, things could have been different. They could have made an attempt to try again, but neither of them made the effort. Maybe they were afraid that if they did try again it would just fail once more and they would never even get to the point that they were at in that moment. "I should make some phone calls..."  
  
"You're going to call his grandparents in Los Angeles, aren't you?" Mike asked.  
  
"What? No..."  
  
"Sonny... they're his family. They've known him his whole life. They have a right to know that he's in trouble, that he's been hurt."  
  
"I can't do it," Sonny said. "They trusted me to take care of the one thing that they had that tied them to their dead daughter. I can't tell them that I couldn't protect their link to Ana... they've suffered so much already because of me, I can't keep on making them go through old wounds over and over."  
  
"The only way that you're going to be hurting them is if you keep them in the dark," Mike said. "Sonny, I know what they're going to feel. I'm thinking about my grandson being in a hospital room being poked and examined by a handful of doctors and I'm so afraid, but at least I know that he's in there, at least I know what's going on. At least I know that the chance of him not making it exists. How do you think they're going to feel if they just go through life thinking everything is going to be okay and then they finally find out that he's gone? That will destroy them more than anything else. They deserve a chance to say goodbye, or at least show him that they still love him as much as they do."  
  
"When'd you get all these instincts?" Sonny asked.  
  
"I refuse to let the past happen again," Mike replied. "I was a horrible father, but I'm trying to make up for it by being the best grandfather that I can allow myself to be."  
  
"You're doing a good job, considering the past..."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
  
"Because that's what it is," Sonny said. "One of the only ones you'll ever get from me. But, Mike, I don't think I can be brave enough to call them and tell them. That's not even something that I should do over the phone."  
  
"I could do it..."  
  
"No," Sonny said almost a second later. He didn't need his father to solve his problems for him. He never did. Sonny rubbed his temples. He hadn't even thought about the Zuniga's since they had left Los Angeles. "I'll think of something. But I'm not going to give them anything until I know something myself."  
  
"Fair enough," Mike submitted. He wouldn't grill Sonny anymore. He had gotten his point across. Sonny needed to seriously consider the fact that Damian did have a family outside of Sonny and the others. He hadn't done it until Mike had reminded him, but now that he did... it wasn't something that Sonny was going to forget. 


	8. Boundries

Morgan Household-  
  
Dillon was awoken by the light that went through the window and struck his eyes. Groggily, he opened them and instantly moved around the bed in rapid succession. Where was he? The room wasn't his room... the bed wasn't his bed... he was still in the clothes that he remembered wearing the day before. What was going on? Dillon took a moment to breathe and made an earnest attempt at recollecting the events that had transpired. The haze was lifted a moment later. He was in Jason's penthouse, wasn't he? He was kicked out of the mansion, right? Everything seemed to be clicking into place. He recalled Jason's visit to the mansion... Damian's accident. Dillon looked around, wondering what the time was. He should have been back at the hospital. Why did he decide to even take the offer? The answer was actually pretty simple, he didn't have anywhere to go. He had been kicked out of the mansion. He couldn't ask Georgie for help, Mac wouldn't let him live there anyway. Courtney made him the offer... he didn't have anything else he could do.  
  
Dillon put his feet over the left side of the bed. His shoes were off. He didn't remember taking them off. There was a lot that he didn't remember about the night before. Everyone was so drained from the emotional roller coaster that they were going through. He was still worried about his friend, but a part of Dillon was also worried about himself. Would he even survive living in the penthouse? Would Jason throw him out without even thinking about it? The minute Dillon stepped out of what Jason considered to be 'the line,' was he going to be gone? Maybe he should have just gone back to the mansion, appealed to his mother. Tracy loved him, didn't she? She always said that she did, and it was one of the only times that Dillon ever believed his mother. She'd welcome him back, wouldn't she?  
  
The real question for Dillon wasn't if Tracy would let him back in her life, but if he wanted to be back in the mansion. He had always hated living there. Even though those people were his family, even though he had his grandmother and Emily around him, the only two members of the family that he really cared about, there was still so much that he didn't like. He hated the way that Edward would try and shape him in the same way that Edward had shaped Ned. Dillon didn't want to be his older brother, he didn't want to be his grandfather. Dillon wanted to be the person that he was. Dillon had vision, he had a uniqueness that nobody in the Quatermaine family could claim. It wasn't like Ned with his career as Eddie Maine, Dillon loved his dream too much to let anyone stomp it out. Ned loved being Eddie, but he couldn't love it more than he loved his family. That's why he stopped and took over ELQ again.  
  
Dillon wasn't sure what he was going to do. He wasn't even sure that he was at a place that he would ever be able to call home. All he knew was that he needed time to think about it. He also needed some fresh clothing, but he wasn't going to be getting that anytime soon.  
  
Jason was sitting on the couch. He looked at his wound. There would probably be a scar that would always be there, but it was healing extremely well. Perhaps that was because it sensed that Jason didn't want to be driven by his injury. He was going to find a way to beat it, like he beat everything else. Or, at the very least, almost everything else. He wasn't sure how he was going to deal with having a teenager living with him. He hadn't even said that Dillon could stay, but he knew that Courtney felt it best that the boy live with them for a time. Jason imagined a time when he thought that he would have his own teenage children running around the house. Dillon had barely stayed overnight and he was already causing Jason grief. Jason wondered how he'd be able to contain children of his own at that age, that he had to have responsibilities for. Dillon wasn't his responsibility, though. Dillon... wasn't even family. On some level he was, but on the level that Jason considered family, Dillon wasn't. Jason had nothing against Dillon, outside of the name, but that didn't mean that he particularly liked Dillon, either. Dillon had, after all, spent some time working for Alcazar, a man that Jason had nothing but contempt for.  
  
Jason couldn't imagine what Courtney was thinking. He was now busy trying to balance his thoughts between three things: Dillon, Damian and Michael. He hated it when he had to do more than one thing at a time, it meant that he couldn't focus on something as much as he should have. Michael may have no longer been a problem, but he hadn't gone to look at Michael since the boy's temper tantrum the night before. As much as Jason didn't want to admit it, there was really nothing that he could do about Damian's condition. He wasn't a doctor, and he could only scarcely and innately remember what he had learned when he was apparently trying to be one. Dillon was the problem that he could have the highest chance of dealing with, much to his chagrin.  
  
Dillon walked out, his hair even more hectic than it normally was due to the fact that it was bed hair and not stylized hair. He saw Jason on the couch, Jason's pale blue eyes looking directly at him. For a brief second, Dillon's heart stopped. Was Jason already thinking about getting rid of him? Those eyes gave him nothing in the way of comfort, all they managed to do was make him want to run back to the mansion and apologize. Dillon knew that he had done nothing wrong, though. He had done nothing worth apologizing to anyone, especially his mother, save for actually caring about someone. That wasn't a crime, that was something that should have been valued. It was something that Dillon did value, but Dillon was never the ideal Quatermaine. Dillon forced himself to say something. His first inclination was 'Don't kill me!' He knew that wasn't going to go over well, so he settled for something much simpler and more expected, "Morning, Jason."  
  
Jason gave Dillon no actual response. He barely even moved. Dillon had a feeling that his cousin wasn't really a morning person. It wasn't hard to believe, Jason did most of his work at night anyway.  
  
Dillon shifted uneasily. He knew that Jason was intimidating, but what he was feeling was more than intimidation, it was downright fear. He decided that he should have started talking on a topic that they both had some interest in. "Has there been any update on Damian or anything?"  
  
Jason shook his head, "No, I haven't heard anything."  
  
"I didn't even get to see him," Dillon mused to himself somberly. "Worse, Maxie didn't even get to see him. I know how much that tore at her."  
  
"You and Maxie aren't family," Jason's voice did nothing to hide his emotionless state. "Sonny is. Sonny's also his father. He had every right to stay with Damian."  
  
"I'm not denying that Sonny had a right to hang around the hospital, Jason," Dillon defended himself. "I'm just saying that it's really hard for me to think about what's happening to my friend right now when I couldn't even see him and make a judgment for myself."  
  
"He got hit by a car, what more do you want?"  
  
"I want some information," Dillon took a few steps forward and sat on the arm of the couch that Jason was on. "You know, I want to know what happened and if they can do something to help him."  
  
Jason remembered that those were the things that he wanted after the accident. He didn't get what he wanted, though. However, even with that cold fact looming on him, he didn't want the same thing to happen with Damian. He wanted Damian to have answers, he wanted the hospital to help Damian in a way that they couldn't help him. "I would have told you if something had changed."  
  
"Thanks," Dillon muttered.  
  
"At any rate, we shouldn't look at the lack of information as anything bad. We should think of it as something good. They would have called if something had gone worse, but they would have called if something had gotten better. Since they haven't called we can only assume that nothings changed. I would rather have no update than one that said he had gotten worse, wouldn't you?"  
  
Dillon couldn't argue with Jason's logic, "No, I guess I wouldn't." Dillon shifted subjects again, "Is Courtney around? I never really got a chance to thank her last night... you know, for letting me crash here."  
  
"I wish she would have talked to me about that," Jason said.  
  
"You don't want me to be here, do you?" Dillon could sense that he was going to get thrown out of the house before he had even had a chance to shower. His day wasn't getting any better.  
  
"Dillon, I don't know if I can be a caretaker for a teenage boy like you..."  
  
"I don't need a caretaker, Jason. I don't really need anything more than a roof over my head. Look, I'm going to be out of here, out of Port Charles, when I graduate from High School and go to college. How long is that going to be? Less than a year..."  
  
"You really think that you're going to get out?" Jason asked.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Exactly what it sounds like, Dillon. You can't really get out of this place, something always ends up calling you back. The Quatermaine's aren't going to let you go."  
  
"They let you go..."  
  
"I forced myself out of their lives because it was the best thing for me to do."  
  
"Jason... I don't want to be a Quatermaine. I don't want to have the expectations that come with the name. I just want to be a regular teenager. I want to be Dillon Quatermaine two words, not Dillon Quatermaine one word. I don't think that's a lot to ask for, do you?"  
  
"No, I guess not."  
  
"Not for us, at least," Dillon continued. "But for the people that we're blood related to it is. We can never be good enough for Grandfather. I can never be good enough for my mother or my brother. I don't even want to try, because I know that deep down I won't allow myself to turn into what they want me to be. I don't want to betray myself in the way that they want me to. I won't sacrifice myself for that family, I've already given them too much and they haven't given me anything in return."  
  
"You really want that?" Jason questioned. "You really want to break away from that family and try to be your own person?"  
  
"Yeah," Dillon softly answered, "I do..."  
  
Courtney was right. The two of them had more in common than they had thought. Jason couldn't let the Quatermaine's stomp out someone's soul. They would eventually do that to Dillon, unless someone stopped them from doing it. As much as Jason hated to admit it, that person was him, it had to be him. "I might regret this... but I'm willing to try this whole living situation if you are."  
  
"Really?" Dillon was elated.  
  
"I know what you're going through. I may not remember a lot of it, but I know that I'll never forget what it's like to not be an ideal Quatermaine. I didn't want to fight that alone, and I don't want you to do it."  
  
Dillon was about to hug Jason and declare his gratitude, but Jason's cold eyes made him back off. Maybe a hand shake would do... When Dillon put his hand out, Jason just looked at it. "Umm... thanks."  
  
"That works," Jason said simply. He was already starting to wonder what he had gotten himself into. 


	9. Compassion

Note: Ya'll went review crazy today! Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Also, another note, I MAY end up extending this to three chapters a day, or even four, once I finish writing it so it can be posted and over. Again, not that I don't love doing this, but I do want it to be completed.  
  
Joy- You caught the hints. I thought about it and figured it would be fun. Getting Dillon out of the Mansion, and putting Jason into the Mansion for a few chapters would have been great, so I did.  
  
You know, in truth I don't really even pay much attention to the show when I'm doing this story. I love the show, even though it's been sub-par as of late, but I know where I want to take my characters, or the characters that are depicted in my story, and if they clash with what's going on, then so be it. My Courtney isn't stupid and hopeful to the point of being naïve, after all. I love her, she's my favorite, but at times she angers me. Other times, she makes me happy.  
  
My heart goes out to Sonny, too. I love writing him as a shattered being as opposed to the strong rock that he is, for the most part on the show. I love showing the vulnerability of the 'rock' characters, like Sonny and Jason. It shows their humanity, which is often in question.  
  
About the development with the Dillon thing... don't expect too much from it. I mean, that's not to say that it won't be touched upon, because it will, but I won't be devoting a section of the story to it. If I had started sooner I probably would have, but I'm kind of pressed for time as it is. Dillon will be instrumental towards the conclusion, but that's about it. I did write a Dillon and Carly part already, though. It was fun.  
  
Since I don't end up touching on Damian's relationship to his family at home as much as I should, it's easy for people to forget that they're around, but they are. I knew that they would have to have a part in this section, since it's their boy who is hurt and they care about him more than Sonny probably does in some ways. They won't be coming around to PC, though. As for the final comment, yes, things are going to be interesting indeed.  
  
Journeylove- Thank you for the kind comments, glad you've been continuing to enjoy.  
  
Story-  
  
Scorpio Household-  
  
It was a rare occurrence in Mac's life, the time when he could sit around the house and relax, if even for a moment. It was early in the morning, both of his girls were still in their rooms sleeping. He got home before they did, but he trusted them to know that they shouldn't do anything that could place them in danger. He trusted Maxie a lot more now than he had ever really trusted her, even when she began to work at the hospital and he could tell that she was really enjoying the work that she was doing. It could have easily been attributed to the fact that she was finding herself constantly influenced by someone who he knew was a good person, driven by an innate sense of morality that just wouldn't be compromised for anyone. How he managed to get that with the father that he had was beyond Mac's comprehension. Mac just had to accept that Damian and Sonny were two extremely different people, and he didn't have a very hard time accepting it once he realized that it was true because he could at last see what Damian was doing to and for Maxie. She was becoming more confident in herself. She was becoming a woman in a way that could only come out with being in love. That woman would eventually break away from him, but he'd always remember the times when she was just a little girl to him.  
  
At that moment, Mac heard the sounds of one of his girls coming down the stairs. He didn't know which it was, and he certainly wasn't the type of father who was so obsessed with his children that he could tell who it was by something as trivial as a footstep. Since he was in the kitchen, his view was obstructed. A second later, Georgie walked in. Mac smiled, Georgie was still his little girl. He couldn't believe that she was going to be leaving him for college. He remembered watching her grow up, it made him nostalgic for those times when she was in his lap or when he'd kiss her goodnight. Mac silently wondered to himself if Frisco would ever feel such things for his own daughters. Mac sincerely doubted it, but he kept his opinions to himself. He knew that while the girls both looked at him as their father in all the ways that mattered they still had some sort of respect for their birth father. Mac didn't know why they did, but he wouldn't try to force his own opinions on them, that wasn't the type of father that he wanted to be. Maybe that was why they had both rebelled against him when they had begun dating their respective boyfriends, because they had never done anything that he wanted them to do before, why should they have started at a time like that? For all the pain and agony that it caused Mac during the times when he would wonder if they were going to be okay, he knew that they had to make their choices on their own. He wished that he had realized it sooner, maybe with Robin.  
  
Georgie seemed to be in a sort of haze. Something was bothering her. She didn't even acknowledge Mac as she came into the kitchen and raided the fridge for something to drink. Mac decided that he was going to get her attention, "Well, good morning to you, too." He tried to sound pained, but he was being as comedic as he could be. It wasn't something that he was extremely skilled at, but he could manage.  
  
Georgie came to as she heard the voice of her father. It almost made her jump. She blushed slightly as she gained her bearings, "I'm sorry, dad..." She gave a small grin that quickly faded.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Mac asked. "I know you can't be worrying about taking your SAT's or getting your entrance essays in, you've already done everything for the colleges that you're applying to next year."  
  
"I'm not worried about school," Georgie replied meekly, pouring orange juice into a glass that she had just gotten out of the cupboard.  
  
"Georgie," Mac began with a light pronunciation of her name, "I'd like to think that you wouldn't be afraid of talking to me about something that's bothering you."  
  
"I'm not afraid," She placed her back to the counter, using it for support.  
  
"So why aren't you talking to me then?" Mac asked.  
  
"I don't know if I should be the one to tell you," Georgie answered simply. "It's not something that really involves me."  
  
"Who does it involve then? Maxie?"  
  
Georgie looked away. She did not feel comfortable telling Mac about the events that had transpired the night before. It wasn't her place. It was Maxie's, but would Maxie even want to tell him?  
  
"Georgie..." Mac's voice was showing that his temper wasn't going to take the silent treatment. He tolerated a lot of secrets on the part of his children, but when their health or wellbeing was at stake, Mac tolerated nothing. "Please, tell me."  
  
"Something happened last night," Georgie said cryptically.  
  
"To Maxie?"  
  
Georgie shook her head, "Not directly, no, although she was affected by it. We all were..."  
  
"What are talking about?" Mac asked. "Please, Georgie, I don't have time for riddles right now."  
  
Georgie sighed. Why was she always the one that had to do the dirty laundry for her sister? She understood that she was expected to do it, but that didn't mean she always had to like it. Sometimes she would gladly do it, but when she was talking to Mac she didn't always want to. She felt like she was compromising their relationship, and she didn't want Maxie to lose another father in the same way that they had both lost Frisco. She knew Mac well enough to know that he wouldn't back down, though. And he was basically pleading with her to be honest with him. She couldn't and wouldn't lie to her father when she knew that he wanted something that badly. "Daddy..."  
  
Mac knew that both of his daughters only used the 'daddy' name when there was something that was wrong, or something that they wanted pretty badly. It was all 'daddy' when Maxie wanted a new car or Georgie wanted a new computer. But he also knew that Georgie never acted the way she was acting when there was something like that. No, there was something wrong. Mac got up, leaving the paper and the coffee mug that were in his hands on the table before he walked over. He hugged Georgie softly, "You can tell me, Georgie. No matter what it is, you don't have to be afraid of how I'm going to react."  
  
"Damian's in the hospital, daddy," Georgie felt that there was a huge burden that was lifted from her when she said the truth. She still didn't feel that it was her place to say anything, but she couldn't keep it inside forever. "He was hit by a truck... saving Michael."  
  
"Damian..." Mac didn't do anything exceptionally emotional, but he did feel bad for the young man that had quickly gained his trust. He knew how much Damian wanted to get out of the jail cell for that week he was inside, and then he was finally out and now he had landed himself in the hospital? The same night that he had finally managed to get out, too. Sometimes, Mac wondered why the people in Port Charles had the luck that they did. "Is he alive?"  
  
Georgie nodded her head, but Mac could tell that it wasn't exactly a pleasant situation. "He was knocked unconscious right away. He still hasn't gotten it back, at least he hadn't when we left the hospital last night."  
  
That would explain why they weren't back when Mac went to bed. They were busy worrying about a friend, or something more in Maxie's case. "How are his chances of survival?"  
  
"Monica said that they weren't the worst that she's ever seen, but they weren't the best, either," Georgie finished her drink and put the glass in the sink. "Maxie spent so many hours just crying or worrying... I couldn't leave her."  
  
"You did the right thing, watching over your sister like you always do." Mac kissed her on the forehead, "I'm proud of you, Georgie."  
  
"I wish I felt that I had done something that you could be proud of, dad," Georgie admitted. "I couldn't make it go away. I know that's what she wanted, though. She wanted to forget what had happened, and I couldn't do that for her."  
  
"You can't erase the past," Mac comforted his youngest daughter. He also thought about Felicia, maybe she should have been made aware of the fact that Maxie was going through a hard time. She didn't know that Damian was Maxie's boyfriend... Mac supposed that there was really no reason for her to know. Maxie would resent Felicia's informing anyway. "Do you know if Maxie managed to get any sleep last night?"  
  
"I stayed with her until she actually got to sleep," Georgie said. "It took her almost an hour from the time that we got home, and I don't know if she managed to stay asleep."  
  
"Maybe I should go check on her..."  
  
"I think that's a good idea," Georgie said.  
  
"But... how are you doing with this, Georgie?" Mac asked. "I know that when something bad happens around the two of you I almost always focus myself on Maxie, but that's only because we both know that she needs someone to be there for her, she's not as strong as you are. Still, I want to know what you're feeling. I know that you don't feel as strongly for Damian as your sister does, but you still care about him."  
  
"Yeah, I do," Georgie felt her eyes begin to water as she thought about her friend in a hospital bed not even moving, barely breathing. "I don't know, dad. The staff at General Hospital are great, but they can't work miracles. I don't even want to think about what might happen to Maxie if he does die. She'll be destroyed. She might get back into doing drugs..."  
  
"We'll just have to keep watching her to make sure that it doesn't happen."  
  
"Maybe you should go see her," Georgie said. "I know that she probably needs you, even if she doesn't want to admit it to herself."  
  
"As long as you're okay..."  
  
"Compared to what Maxie's going through? Yeah, I know that I'm okay."  
  
Upstairs-  
  
How many holes were there in the tiles of her ceiling? That was what Maxie had been reduced to, counting the number of holes that were at the top of her room. Anything to keep her mind off of it... off of him, and especially off of the horrid sight that his face had been reduced to. She couldn't even remember all the dreams that she had over the night, but she knew that they would almost all have something to do with him. She recalled one where everything was okay, where nothing had happened. They were together in each other's arms, kissing. Damian told her how much he loved her and she felt that there was nothing that could hurt either of them. Yes, it was immature and it was not the reality of the situation, but with everything that was going on around her being the reality, she knew that she couldn't blame herself for wanting things to be more ideal.  
  
Maxie wanted to get out of bed, but her legs refused to work like she wanted them to. It was like she was paralyzed. If she couldn't get out of bed, if she couldn't go to the hospital and get a progress on her boyfriend... then nothing would change, right? Nothing could change if she didn't ask if something had changed. He would still be hurt, she couldn't make that go away, but he couldn't die, not if she didn't get out of bed and ask if he had died. Eventually, though, she knew that she would have to get out of bed.  
  
Mac came up the stairs as quietly as possible in order to ensure that Maxie wasn't going to be waken up in the off-chance that she was still asleep. Her door was cracked open. Georgie probably didn't keep it closed all the way just in case Maxie made a sound and she wanted to make sure that everything was okay. He poked his head in and saw that Maxie was indeed up, although if she was willing to talk was another matter entirely.  
  
The door creaked open. Maxie's concentration was diverted to the door. She saw Mac put his head in the room. She watched her father try to smile. "You found out, didn't you?" Maxie asked.  
  
Mac's fake smile dropped quickly, "Yeah, I did."  
  
"Georgie tell you?"  
  
"She didn't want to, but I forced her into it," Mac said, hopefully defending Georgie from incurring the wrath of her older sister. "Don't get upset with her."  
  
"I'm not," Maxie propped herself up. "I'm actually kind of glad that Georgie told you, dad. I don't think that I could do it."  
  
"Maxie... I'm so sorry."  
  
"You worked so hard to try and get him out of jail," Maxie began, "you did everything that you could to prove that he was innocent because you knew that he was. When he got out... he didn't even get a day, daddy. We didn't even get to spend a day holding each other... we might not be able to ever spend a day like that."  
  
"You can't think like that," Mac said. "You don't know how bad it is..."  
  
"Yes I do," Maxie countered. "I saw him, daddy. It was like I wasn't looking at Damian. I was looking at some horrible figure that just happened to look like Damian. I didn't want to think that it was really him. I still don't want to think that it's him." Maxie turned her head to shield herself from Mac's gaze, "But there's nothing I can do to make me forget that it is him, that the man that I care for so much might not even recognize me anymore if he does wake up." Maxie broke down again. "It's not fair!"  
  
Mac walked over before he put himself on the edge of the bed and hugged Maxie. He felt her tears litter into his shirt, dampening it. "I know it's not fair, Maxie. I know it's not fair..." He couldn't say anything to make her feel better, knowing that such a panacea would take something more than words, something that he didn't have. Instead, Mac just spent every moment that he could holding his daughter in her arms, letting Maxie know that he was going to be there for her then as he had always been in the past, where he would always be as long as time and Maxie permitted. She was just a little girl who needed her daddy again. Mac was all too happy to oblige. 


	10. Michael's Desire

Corinthos Household-  
  
Courtney walked into the house and instantly noticed that it seemed like it was a little less complete. Not only was her brother not there, which wasn't that unexpected since Sonny would almost always be out on business if he was gone or with his family out on the island, but her nephew was gone... again. He'd left so many times since he had arrived in Port Charles, and only once had it been an optional occurrence. Now, Damian was in the hospital and Sonny was keeping a constant vigil. Sonny wouldn't leave, no matter what. It was both an endearing quality that Sonny had and one that made Courtney worry about him. Sonny would let his own health dwindle if it came down to it. There was no sacrifice that was too great for him when it came to his children. Would she have been as dedicated? She'd never get the chance to find out.  
  
"Carly?" Courtney called out, hoping that her best friend wasn't sleeping. She had barely gotten a few winks over the night and had held out on the foolish hope that her best friend would be equally worried, if not for her step-son, then most certainly for her husband.  
  
Carly came out from the kitchen area with a somber look plastered on her face, she meekly responded, "Hey."  
  
"What were you doing in there?" Courtney asked, knowing full well that Carly should not have been allowed anywhere near the kitchen for the sake of the family and quite possibly the ecosystem.  
  
"I figured that I would get Michael's breakfast ready. The poor boy, I know he won't want to eat, but he's going to have to eat something."  
  
"You didn't try and cook, did you?" Courtney was nervous. Sonny was already in a state of panic, if Carly had messed with his kitchen... things could have gone much worse.  
  
"No, I was going to get the cereal out," Carly smirked. If there was something that she could do with a certain level of efficiency, cereal was that meal. But, they weren't there to discuss Carly's choice of eatery options. "You want to go back to the hospital, don't you?"  
  
"I'll be there all day, if I need to be," Courtney replied. "Sonny's not the only one who cares about Damian, no matter how much he wants to tell himself otherwise."  
  
"You know that Sonny is just using that selfish attitude of his as a defense mechanism, Courtney. He's more afraid than anything else."  
  
"I might know that, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it," Courtney stated. "I can't believe that he wanted us to all just leave him alone like that."  
  
"Trying to make sense of Sonny's decisions is a foolish path to take in life, you should know that as well as anyone."  
  
"You're right," Courtney brushed her thoughts off, focusing less on her brother's, at times, petty behavior and instead concentrating on the family and how things were being handled. "Did Michael manage to contain himself last night?"  
  
"Jason had to help him," Carly replied. "I know that Michael wasn't feeling like everything was going to be okay. I know that Leticia couldn't have contained him. I know that he's even more scared than Sonny is."  
  
"Mommy? Aunt Courtney?" Michael came down the stairs in his pajamas, the aftereffects of sleep still apparent as he rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Man," Carly smiled as best she could as she walked over. "You feeling any better?"  
  
"No," Michael replied. "I want to go to the hospital!"  
  
"Honey... you shouldn't... not until he's feeling better," Carly tried to appeal to Michael's sense of logic. She chose to blind herself to the fact that the boy was so young that he likely didn't have a very strong sense of logic.  
  
Her blindness should have been followed, "He won't get any better unless we're all over there with him!" Michael sat on the steps of the stairs, "He was there for me, why won't you let me help him like he helped me?"  
  
"Michael," Courtney decided to try her luck, "we all know that you want nothing more than to help Damian, but the best way you can do that is by staying here and not putting yourself in any danger. The people that wanted to hurt you could still be after you, and we can't have that."  
  
"You'll protect me," Michael stated somewhat matter-of-factly. "You always keep me safe. You, daddy, mommy, Uncle Jason..." He struggled with the final member of that list, since he knew that the entire situation was created because of the fact that Damian did protect him.  
  
Both women knew that he was having a hard time accepting what had passed. He wasn't alone, they were with him in that respect. Whoever wanted to hurt Michael wasn't going to make it out alive... Sonny would find a way to end that threat.  
  
Carly touched Michael's hand gently, "Come on, sweetie, I've got some cereal ready for you."  
  
"I'm not hungry," Michael responded.  
  
"Michael, please," Carly begged, "you need to eat in order to stay healthy. I don't want you getting sick and going to the hospital as well."  
  
"At least then I could be with him..." Michael muttered before he walked into the kitchen, utterly dejected.  
  
Carly moved her hair back with her hand and sighed heavily, "What am I going to do with him?"  
  
"You know... there might not be any reason that we can't take him to the hospital," Courtney said. "It's not like we can't protect him from the people that did this to Damian if he's only a few feet away."  
  
"I don't want Michael seeing his brother in the condition that Damian is in."  
  
"Carly... he was there when it happened," Courtney stated. "He's not going to go in thinking that everything is fine when he saw what was going on."  
  
"What if Ric's there?" Carly asked. "You know how much Michael hates him."  
  
"Ric will stay away," Courtney was confident that he would stay away from Michael. "He's not trying to be a burden to anyone right now. I don't know how long that's going to last, and I sure as hell don't believe his pathetic good guy routine, but that's the truth of the situation."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Carly, if you leave him here he's only going to think about the problem even more. Taking him along will at least help him get some closure on the situation. We might not even be able to see Damian in the hospital, but I know for a fact that it would help him."  
  
Courtney's reasoning seemed like it wasn't going to get any less correct. Carly couldn't deny that Michael needed to have something to do in order to occupy himself. She couldn't even think about making him clean his room, because the mess that was made by his outburst was entirely justified. "Fine, you win. I just hope that this doesn't hurt my little boy anymore than he's already been hurt."  
  
"I can't make any promises, but I don't think that he'll have anything negative happen to him."  
  
"Could you stay here in case the phone rings or something?" Carly asked. "I'd like to tell him by myself."  
  
Courtney gave a slight nod of her head, "Sure."  
  
Carly, summoning resolve that she didn't even know that she had, took the first few slow steps into the kitchen. Michael was sitting at the table, looking at the cereal. His spoon was in the bowl, but he wasn't even making an effort to eat. "Honey..."  
  
"I'm not hungry..."  
  
"Michael..."  
  
"I want to go see him," Michael reaffirmed his point. "I need to go see him."  
  
Carly sat on the chair next to her son, "How about we strike a deal? If you eat your breakfast and then go take a bath and get ready, you, me and Aunt Courtney will all go to the hospital together?"  
  
"You promise?" Michael asked.  
  
"I promise," Carly replied. "But... Michael... you have to understand something, you might not even be able to see him if you go to the hospital. The only one who has even seen your brother aside from Grandma is daddy."  
  
"How come I can't see him?" Michael asked.  
  
"Because he's really hurt, Michael. He needs to have people do tests on him to see if... he'll ever be able to do the things that he used to do before the accident." Carly was struggling, but she was finding a way to explain what was going on better than she thought she could. "Do you really want to be there for a long time without being able to do anything else? Just waiting in the hospital?"  
  
"I think he'll know that I'm there," Michael retorted. "I think it will help him if he can feel me being around him."  
  
"Okay. If that's what you want to do, then you can come with us. But, if you think that you can't handle everything that's going on around you, I don't want you to think that it's a bad thing that you can't handle it. You're just a little boy, Michael, and these are things that are scaring all of us. Nobody is going to think less of you if you get afraid."  
  
"I won't be afraid, I have to be strong." Michael put the spoon in his mouth, filled with the cereal that Carly had put in the bowl for him. He was eating not because he wanted to, but because he knew that his mother wouldn't go back on her word. After a few spoons were finished, he asked Carly another question, "Would you be sad if he did die?"  
  
"Of course I would," Carly said. "I'd be very sad if your brother died."  
  
"But would you be sad because of how much it would hurt me and daddy, or would you actually be sad because he was dead?"  
  
"Michael, we're not enemies anymore," Carly said. "We might not be very close, but I don't hate your brother now. If I did I wouldn't even be concerned over what happened. Now, hurry and eat up so we can leave, I'm sure daddy wants some support." Carly got up and left Michael in the kitchen.  
  
Courtney was on the couch when she heard Carly's steps walking towards her. "Nobody called..."  
  
"I know, I didn't hear the phone ring," Carly sat down next to Courtney. "That was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, Courtney."  
  
"But you know that you did the right thing..."  
  
"I know that, but I still think I'm going to be putting my baby through something that he shouldn't have to worry about..." Carly leaned against the couch, letting the severity of the situation wash over her. 


	11. One Last Time?

Note: I have vowed to finish writing this story by the end of the week! I might be able to finish it today, provided I work my behind off! Wish me luck!  
  
Story-  
  
Outside the Quatermaine Mansion-  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Dillon?" Jason asked, shifting his shoulders a bit uneasily. Even though the mansion housed two people that he loved very much it was also the place where so much in his life had gone wrong, the place where Carly was pushed down the stairs that caused Carly and Sonny to lose a child among other things.  
  
"Jason, I don't have anything of my own right now outside of the clothes on my back, and I sure as hell don't want to be wearing those for the rest of my life," Dillon quipped, being as sarcastic as he could to try and lighten the mood. It wasn't that he didn't know how much Jason hated the mansion, he did, but they needed to do this. Besides, Jason had insisted on coming along.  
  
"I've got more than enough money to buy you everything that you'd need," Jason realized just how much like a parent he was already sounding, and he didn't like it very much.  
  
"I don't want you to be supporting me," Dillon responded, taking a few steps forward towards the side entrance of the house. "I just need to grab some clothes and things for school and I should be set."  
  
"And what are you going to do if they try and stop you?"  
  
"Well, that's why I'm actually kind of happy that you came along," Dillon smirked. "Pull a gun on them, or something."  
  
Jason wasn't amused, but he wasn't amused by much to begin with. "You know as much as I'd like to do it, I won't."  
  
"I was kidding... although the thought was nice." Dillon turned the knob of the side door, which was almost never actually locked. If a criminal tried to break in, they would find themselves introduced to Alice, and that would be a haunting time for anyone. Alice was intimidating, even to the people who knew her. Dillon silently wondered if Jason was afraid of Alice on some level.  
  
Tracy was eating the buffet breakfast that Cook had prepared for them as Cook often did. She'd had better food in Europe, but she'd also had worse food, so it was acceptable by her rigid standards. She was waiting in the room for a specific reason. She knew that her son would come back to her. Dillon loved his mother and Tracy knew that the love her son had for her was going to be more than enough to bring him back to her whenever he went astray. There was also the fact that Dillon couldn't survive on his own. Tracy had taught her young son many things in his life, but she was the survivor of the family, not him. When she saw the door open and recognized the hairstyle, she knew that she had been right on the money. "I was expecting you to come back, darling."  
  
Dillon didn't think that she would be waiting for him, but he should have known better. "Mother..."  
  
"However, Dillon, I meant what I said," Tracy began, "you are no longer a welcome member of this family. If you choose to associate yourself with the hooligans that you claim to have an affinity towards, then maybe you should just remain with them for the rest of your life."  
  
"That's what he's doing," Jason walked up, standing behind Dillon. "You kicked your son out, Tracy, and I took him in."  
  
Tracy had to fight to hold the plate that she was holding in her hand, since the shock of her son living with Jason Morgan of all people wasn't a very pleasant thought. "Dillon, you know that mother was just kidding about the exile, right? You don't have to stay with Jason... you can come back. Look, you're already back." Tracy grabbed Dillon and pulled him away from Jason, "Thank you for bringing my son back, now I'm sure that you've got a contract killing that is going to expire soon, so I won't keep you from doing your job."  
  
"There's nothing that I have to do right now," Jason replied.  
  
"Mom," Dillon broke free from Tracy's grasp, "I've had enough of you and of this family. You tried to stomp out the one thing that I didn't want to give up, you tried to make me stop caring for people that I consider part of my life because they don't meet your standards."  
  
"Would it make you feel any better if I said that you could go see that little tart and the comatose Prince of Crime whenever you wanted?" Tracy asked.  
  
"See... you try and do something to make it all better, but the only thing that you really manage is to mess everything up," Dillon sighed. "You're never going to understand what it's like to be me, or to even be like me. I'm also never going to understand what it's like to be you. That's why I can't be here anymore. I can't live my life by anyone's standards but my own."  
  
"So you're going to live with the murderer?" Tracy asked, her voice ringing through the room. "What do you think he's going to do with you, Dillon? He's going to teach you how to be a killer and god only knows how many other horrible things that he does on a daily basis!"  
  
Jason grabbed himself some food, he was actually partly enjoying the fact that he was watching Tracy squirm. It didn't happen very often, so when it did happen it was something of a spectacle. "I won't try and shape Dillon like you did, Tracy."  
  
"Put that down!" Tracy ordered. "The family gets to eat the food in here, not the mentally impaired."  
  
"My son is as much a member of this family as you are!" Alan walked in, hearing the commotion from the other side of the house. Tracy's voice carried, that had been a fact that was obvious since she was old enough to talk. "I won't have you treating him like he isn't a Quatermaine."  
  
"He doesn't want to be a Quatermaine, Alan!" Tracy reminded her brother, completely devoid of emotion and tact. "Get it through your head!"  
  
"Why are you here, Jason?" Alan asked.  
  
Jason finished the piece of bacon that he was eating before he answered, "Dillon and I came to get his stuff so that he could take it back to the penthouse."  
  
"The penthouse?" Alan was even less sure of himself than he was when he walked in the room. "Why would Dillon need to be going to the penthouse?"  
  
"When he has a perfectly good home right here with us, the family. Isn't that right, my loving brother?" Tracy was laying it on thick. She needed an ally, and she was desperate enough to go to Alan for support.  
  
"That's not what you said last night," Dillon replied. "You were here, Alan. You heard her tell me that I wasn't welcome in this house if I walked out that door. Well, I walked out, and Jason's letting me live with him until I can finish school and go to college."  
  
"I think it's an excellent idea," Alan remarked.  
  
"You do?" Jason asked.  
  
"What are you on?" Tracy inquired. "Did you sneak some pills from the hospital again?!"  
  
"Jason, we may not always agree on a lot of things, but I know that you have a fine moral character..."  
  
"Fine moral characters don't constitute a rising body count, Alan!" Tracy screamed.  
  
"You can be a good role model for Dillon."  
  
"Allow me to give you a demonstration of how Jason would be a role model for my son." Tracy put a cloth over her hand and put her thumb up and her index finger out, "I'm sure that you know what this is supposed to be. After all, guns are one of the few things that you can keep in that memory of yours. See? Gun? Bang Bang. Dead." Tracy took the napkin off. "Now, explain to me how such examples can even be considered for positive role modeling?"  
  
"If nothing else," Alan began, "Jason can teach Dillon how to ignore you and your constant rambling. In fact, he's already started to learn."  
  
Tracy wasn't sure what Alan was implying, but when she looked around, she noticed that her son was gone. "Dillon?"  
  
"For someone who supposedly cares about her son so much, you can't even notice when he leaves if he's two feet away from you," Jason forced himself to smile. Tracy was doing one thing quite well, she was burying herself even deeper into the hole that she had dug.  
  
"You can't just take my son away from me, Jason!" Tracy declared. "If you try it, I will see to it that I get him back and get you thrown in jail for kidnapping."  
  
"Dillon is coming with me willingly. This wasn't even my idea, but I know what it's like to have you people put your hands around our throats and suck us dry. I won't let someone else go through that."  
  
Alan lowered his head. He knew that Jason had a degree of displeasure for the family, but he was seeing that Jason flat out hated the Quatermaine's, and Alan knew that he had a part in souring his son's opinion of the family. There wasn't anything that he could do about it, though. What was done was done. On some level Jason was right. If Dillon stayed around there was no telling what would happen to the poor boy. What his mother would do to him in order to secure herself a seat of power within the family. Tracy had already twisted Ned into something that Ned didn't want to be. Edward had a hand in that as well, but Alan didn't want to see it repeated on Dillon. "Tracy, let it go. You lost."  
  
"I never lose, Alan," Tracy said spitefully. "I never lose."  
  
"Neither do I," Jason quipped. "If you try and fight this, Tracy, I won't let you win. You think I don't know how to work the legal system better than you do? You think I don't know how to pull strings like you?"  
  
"The only thing you are better at than me is being a certified lunatic!" Tracy was trying to hide her fear. She didn't want to push Dillon away. She didn't really think that he was going to take her threat as an actual threat. But he had. She had to admit that he went to one of the few people that would set Tracy off. She could have found out that he was living with that girlfriend of his, she expected that. But he ran to the black sheep of the clan, something that she hadn't even thought about. Worse, the sheep was accepting him into the fold. Jason wanted to cut all ties to the family, why would he be taking one of them in? Maybe that was the ammunition that she was looking for... "You sure you want to have a Quatermaine living with you?"  
  
"I can manage," Jason replied.  
  
"This isn't over," Tracy left the room, fuming.  
  
"I think it is," Jason muttered to himself.  
  
"But you're wrong, son," Alan mused. "She's not going to stop fighting for her son. In her own way, she loves him."  
  
"She can do whatever she wants," Jason said. "If Dillon wants to come back to the mansion, I won't stop him, but if he wants to stay with me, I won't stop him either."  
  
"This was Courtney's idea, wasn't it?"  
  
Jason turned his head. He didn't want to drag her into the conversation. She had enough on her mind, dealing with her blood family, there was no reason why Jason should have her involved with his blood relatives more than she already was.  
  
"I knew I liked that girl," Alan smiled. "She's got a level head on her shoulders. She's the right person for you. Much better for you than with AJ."  
  
Dillon came barreling down the stairs with several bags filled with clothes, books, and, of course, movies. The weight alone almost caused him to take a tumble down the stairs. He had just started grabbing things and putting them in anything that he had which could carry his belongings. He saw Tracy waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. "You're not going to try and stop me, are you?"  
  
"Of course I am," Tracy said. "You and I both know that we have our differences, Dillon. I don't know how you managed to get it, but you've got compassion and all it does is make you weak and able to be manipulated by other people."  
  
"You'd know all about manipulating me, wouldn't you?" Dillon asked.  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Mom, my entire life you've used me in some way to get what you wanted, haven't you? Even when I was old enough to make my own decisions you still made me work for you. Why was I here? Why did I come to Port Charles? So that you would have a way back into the family when you finally stopped gallivanting around Europe. I was the seed that you planted in this house so that you could get back."  
  
"That's not true..."  
  
"Stop lying to me!"  
  
"I'm not lying to you, Dillon!" Tracy, as hard as she tried, couldn't keep a single tear from falling down her face.  
  
Dillon was shocked. He had only seen his mother cry a handful of times in his life. Tracy felt that crying was the worst show of weakness that the human body could give. "Mom..."  
  
"I don't want to lose you," Tracy said. "I don't..."  
  
Dillon shook his head, "Prove it to me. Let me be the person that I want to be."  
  
"Fine... if that's what it will take..."  
  
"I want to get out of this house, I'm going to live with Jason. If you don't try and fight it, maybe I'll come back."  
  
"If... that's what you want," Tracy was forcing herself to accept things.  
  
Dillon walked past her, "No matter what happens, mom, you know that I still love you. You're my mother, and I will always care about you, but that doesn't mean that I have to be at your beck and call. I might be your son, but I'm also my own person."  
  
Tracy sat on the bottom step and wiped her eyes. She watched her son, her baby, walk out of the room. He didn't even look back.  
  
"You ready?" Jason asked as he saw Dillon coming in. Something was bothering Dillon, Jason could see it in his face.  
  
"Yeah, let's get out of here..." Dillon thought about looking back, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. No amount of apologizing would make up for what Tracy had done to him in his life.  
  
"Dillon," Alan spoke, "if you think that you're doing the right thing, I won't stop you, but if you ever feel that you need to come back..."  
  
"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." Dillon walked out the door.  
  
"Take care of him, Jason," Alan requested.  
  
"I'll do what I can," Jason closed the door behind him. Dillon had stopped himself. Jason came up, "She got to you again, didn't she?"  
  
"Yeah..." Dillon picked up a bag, "just like I knew that she would. She tries to think that I don't know what she's going to do, that I don't know her as well as I do. She's wrong. Let's go..." 


	12. Grasping at Hope

General Hospital-  
  
Michael, for once in his life, hadn't protested about getting into the bath. His reasoning was simple: if it meant that he could see his big brother, who he knew wasn't exactly in the best shape of his life, then there was nothing that he wouldn't do in order to make it happen. He thought about getting dressed up, but Carly and Courtney put a stop to that. The hospital was no place for a suit, unless Sonny was there, since it was all he wore.  
  
To his credit, Michael did not cry at all on the way to the hospital. He was rather quiet, asking only a few questions aloud, but that did not mean that he didn't have millions of questions running around in his head. He was worried about what was going to happen. He wondered how much of it was his fault. If he had just stayed with Damian instead of going ahead nothing would have happened, they both would have been safe. Everyone was trying to tell him that what had happened wasn't his fault, but Michael didn't believe that it was the truth. How could he? Michael knew that there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was the target of the truck. He should have been worried about himself, but he knew that his parents and his family would find a way to protect him no matter what. That was they way that they worked. Everything revolved around keeping him and his brother safe... his little brother, at least. Why hadn't they done the same things for Damian? Michael knew that Damian was older, almost as old as Courtney, but he should have still been protected and he wasn't. Even though he knew that it was almost all his fault, that didn't mean that he didn't think that there was something that Sonny could have done to fix the problem before it became a problem. He wasn't angry at Sonny, though. He knew that his father would have done something if he had been aware. Michael just wished that they were more aware than they had been the night before. Everything would have been different.  
  
When they walked onto the floor where Damian was being contained, Michael was holding Carly's hand as tight as he could. He knew that he told her that if he was feeling afraid or if he wanted to go home he'd say it and Carly would find a way to get him back, but he didn't want to leave at all. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't scared. The fact that he was in the hospital, a place that he knew his Uncle Jason, one of the strongest people that he knew, hated didn't help either.  
  
"Courtney," Mike saw his daughter and the rest of his family from the waiting area. He got up and smiled, hugging his daughter, "Hi, princess."  
  
"Dad?" Courtney was surprised that Mike was around. Sonny and Mike being alone together often didn't end up being something that people wanted to see. "How long have you been here?"  
  
"A few hours," Mike said. "I couldn't sleep, so I just came to the hospital, in case there was any news."  
  
"Thank you, Mike," Carly said to her father-in-law. "It's nice to know that someone was here in case something happened and Sonny couldn't make a phone call."  
  
"Yeah, no problem."  
  
"Grandpa..." Michael came out from behind Carly.  
  
Mike didn't expect Michael to be anywhere near the hospital for a very long time. The fact that Michael was around made things harder for Mike. Seeing his crimson haired grandson, who he knew was more than well aware of what was going on, made Mike nearly break down. But he stayed strong, more for Michael than for himself. "Hey, kiddo. Come here." As Michael walked over, Mike got down on his knees and hugged Michael. "You afraid?"  
  
"A little bit, yeah," Michael admitted. "Aren't you?"  
  
Mike nodded, "I'm afraid, too. But that doesn't mean that something bad is going to happen, you know? Sometimes, when the people that we love are in danger or hurt, we worry anyways, because we love them so much that we just automatically think that something really bad is going to happen to them. We can't think that right now, though. We have to stay positive. Can you do that for me?"  
  
"I can try..."  
  
"That's better than nothing," Mike got up, rubbing Michael's hair with his hand gently. "Sonny will be glad to know that you've come."  
  
"Where is he?" Carly asked, looking around and not seeing Sonny anywhere.  
  
"We've been waiting for awhile since they took Damian in for some tests. You know Sonny, if he's waiting for more than five minutes for information then he's been waiting too long. I managed to get him to wait a little bit longer, but in the end he acted like we knew he would and decided that if no one was going to tell him something he was going to find someone and make them tell him."  
  
Carly shook her head, "He couldn't be patient..."  
  
"Could you?" Mike asked. "If things were different... wouldn't you be looking for answers right away?"  
  
Carly looked down at her child and thought about it. If Michael was in the position that Damian was in, if it were Michael that was being looked at and probed, she wouldn't be able to stay calm. She'd like to think that she would have been able to do it, but she knew that in the end her motherly instincts would just take over and she wouldn't be able to control herself. "How long has he been gone?"  
  
"Not even 10 minutes," Mike noticed how Carly didn't actually answer the question, but he knew that she had thought of an answer in her head. The answer was apparent, she would be acting the same way. What saddened Mike was that, when he was their age, when Sonny and Courtney were the age that Michael was, or even Damian, if something like that had happened, Mike wouldn't have been around for them. He knew there were plenty of reasons that Sonny still couldn't be close to him as a father, that they would barely be something of friends, and he was looking at one of those reasons at that very moment. Mike wondered what he was, why he allowed himself to become the type of person that he was when he was younger and he didn't have any good reasons or excuses, he was just stupid.  
  
"Has Maxie been here today?" Courtney asked. She couldn't forget that Maxie was still the one that Damian loved, and that Maxie was the one who took everything harder than the rest, even harder than Michael. She didn't know about the argument that they had a few hours before the accident, though.  
  
"I haven't seen her," Mike recalled taking the girls home the night before. "When I dropped her and Georgie off at their house I could still tell that she was in shock. I hope that she's managed to get over it, and hopefully come to terms with what happened. She'll be here later today, I'm almost certain of it."  
  
Elsewhere in the hospital-  
  
How many ignorant fools did the hospital have on their payroll? That was the question that was constantly running through Sonny's mind. He had asked over a dozen various doctors and nurses, even candy-strippers for some information, any information. He wasn't getting anything, and it was starting to make him mad. To be more precise, he was already mad, he was starting to get irate.  
  
When one of the staffers walked past him, Sonny grabbed her by the wrist. She jumped a little. Sonny calmed himself down a little, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm looking for some information on my son. Damian Cor..." Sonny stopped himself. Even though Damian was calling Sonny 'dad,' he still hadn't taken the rightful last name that belonged to him. "Zuniga. Damian Zuniga."  
  
The nurse stayed silent for a moment, "He's the one that was in the hit and run last night, wasn't he?"  
  
"Yes," Sonny replied. "The doctors have taken him into an examination room, but they've had him in there for such a long time that I just want to know how much longer I'm going to have to wait."  
  
"I'm sorry, but that isn't my area of the hospital to take care of," She tried to sound both polite and sympathetic at the same time. She knew who Sonny Corinthos was, she didn't want him angry at her. "Maybe you should check the nurses' station. They have all the files for everyone on the floor and the hospital."  
  
"I was just there!" Sonny declared. "They haven't told me anything that I didn't already know!"  
  
She backed away slightly, "I'm sorry about what happened to your son, sir, but there isn't anything that I can do to help you. I'm sure that if you just wait in the waiting area someone will contact you with the information when it becomes available." Without giving Sonny a chance to even make a response, or shoot her, the woman scampered off.  
  
Sonny punched the wall, "What the hell do I have to do in order to get some answers?"  
  
"There you are..."  
  
Sonny turned around, "Courtney?"  
  
His little sister had been looking around the hospital for him, knowing full well that an angry Sonny was a considerably more dangerous Sonny. "Come on, Sonny, there's nothing that we can do other than wait."  
  
"I hate waiting," Sonny replied. "I want the answers that I need and I want them right now."  
  
"Angering the staff is only going to make them keep more secrets from you, Sonny." Courtney was trying to be rational, knowing that it wasn't going to go over well with Sonny. There was, after all, no chance that Sonny would actually be reasonable about the situation. Sonny was capable of many things, being rational wasn't one of them. "Just come back with me, please."  
  
"They took him away..."  
  
"To help him."  
  
"But they're not telling me anything."  
  
"They'll tell you, they'll tell us all, when they have some answers."  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
Somehow, Courtney had managed to appeal to Sonny's senses. It was a huge victory, although it wasn't the type that she would brag about. They walked towards the waiting area together, where the rest of the family was waiting.  
  
Michael saw his father and got out of the chair, "Daddy!"  
  
As Michael was heading towards him, Sonny muttered to his sister, "What's Michael doing here?"  
  
Courtney tried to sound as silent as possible, "Michael already knows what's going on, Sonny. Keeping him away from the problem isn't going to make him any less aware of the severity."  
  
"Still... he shouldn't be here."  
  
"Do you want to be the one to tell him that he can't be here?" Courtney asked.  
  
Sonny knew that he didn't want to be that person. "Hey, buddy."  
  
"Did you find anything out yet?" Michael asked.  
  
"No, not yet," Sonny said. "I'm sorry, Michael, I've failed you."  
  
Michael shook his head, "You didn't fail me, daddy. You're trying your hardest to help Damian now. You couldn't have known what was going on. It's not your fault." Michael was lying to himself and lying to his father, but he didn't want to hurt Sonny's feelings. Lying was okay when it didn't hurt anyone, right? Damian said that it wasn't... Michael still loved his father too much to express his concerns. "He'll be okay, I know it. He'll come back to us..."  
  
Sonny picked Michael up and gave him a big hug. He didn't know that Michael was going to cheer him up so much. Maybe it was because of his own optimism, but when he heard his son say that everything was going to be okay, he believed it for some reason. He only hoped that, for Michael's sake more than anyone else's, the boy was right.  
  
"I'm glad that more of your family has showed up, Sonny," Monica came from one of the ends of the hospital.  
  
"Monica..."  
  
"We've finished the tests," Monica's single sentence held so much weight on everyone. They all tried to read her face, but she was keeping it blank. Was it good, or bad? 


	13. Calling Out

Note: IT IS DONE!!! I have finished writing the story, although it is still about 100 pages from being completely posted. That being said, next week will have 3 chapters daily, and if that doesn't work, I'll just post them all before I move. I'm so pleased that I finished. I hope you all like how it ends.  
  
Story-  
  
Monica was in a unique situation. She was about to tell the man who could have easily been considered the most dangerous man in all of Port Charles if not all of the Northeastern United States vital information that Sonny not only wanted, but also needed. She could have easily fixed the results to say something else, but that would compromise her integrity as a doctor. Many times in the past her integrity as a wife had been challenged, but she tried to keep her profession and her life apart from one another.  
  
The long lingering silence that was between Monica and the varied members of the Corinthos clan was far too long for Sonny's tastes. "Monica, any day now."  
  
Monica was taken back by Sonny's tactless and rude request, but she knew that he was in that rare state of his life where he wasn't in control. It didn't make the way that he treated her acceptable, but she would ignore it for the time. "Things are progressing well," She muttered. She watched as everyone seemed to relax when she said that they were going well. "But that doesn't mean that everything is going to be okay. Several of Damian's ribs were broken on impact. We've no way of telling how fast the vehicle was going, but it certainly could have gone a lot worse for everyone involved. He also has a bruised tailbone, so walking may be a bit difficult for the first few days, maybe even weeks. However, it's nothing that won't heal. He didn't puncture anything and he is not suffering from any internal bleeding."  
  
"So why hasn't he woken up?" Sonny asked. "Is there something that's wrong with his brain?"  
  
Monica waited a moment, giving Sonny time to make another outburst if he wanted one. Since he made no actual motion towards saying anything else and actually letting her speak, she took it upon herself to do her job and inform the family. "His brainwaves are all normal. He hasn't suffered any brain damage. As for the reason why he was still unconscious when we took him in for the examinations we can't really say. The best guess that we have is that his body just went into a state of temporary shock and it shut down until he had enough time to heal."  
  
"Has that happened before?" Courtney wondered.  
  
"It's actually quite common, yes," Monica said. "It usually doesn't last very long, though. Something like that really depends on the person and their own level of healing. Has Damian ever had any injuries like this in the past?"  
  
Sonny didn't know. He didn't know any of his son's medical history. Damian could have been allergic to something that Sonny would try and feed him... Sonny could hurt his son without even knowing it. "I... don't know," Sonny admitted. "We haven't known each other for very long."  
  
"I'm sure that we could get in contact with a hospital in..." Monica tried to remember where Damian was from. Dillon spoke highly of him and when they first met and became friends Dillon would say that he had met someone from Los Angeles. "Los Angeles, right?"  
  
Sonny nodded his head, "That's where he was raised, yes."  
  
"I'll have one of the nurses get in contact with all the hospitals in the Los Angeles area. However, since it's such a big area, that could take some time."  
  
"Monica, can I see him again?" Sonny asked, implicating that he would be the one that went into the room.  
  
"He's recovering right now, Sonny. Even though we didn't need to do anything to his body physically to take the tests they can still be an exhausting time, especially on someone who is as drained as your son."  
  
"I won't do anything. I just want to be next to him," Sonny was in a rare bargaining position, he was pleading for something that he couldn't get by himself.  
  
"Okay," Monica caved in easily. "I'll take you to him."  
  
"Daddy," Michael said, "I want to be in there with him and you!"  
  
Sonny put Michael on the ground, "Buddy, you can't come with me right now. Daddy needs to be alone with your big brother, but you can see him in a little bit, okay?"  
  
"Hey, Michael, why don't we see if the hospital has any cake or something else sweet that we can snack on?" Courtney tried to be the one who smoothed things over. She knew that Michael really wanted to be with Damian, but she also knew that it just wasn't likely or possible given the situation.  
  
"Go with Courtney," Sonny ordered his son in the way that he always ordered Michael, a way that didn't actually make it sound like an order. "I'll come get you when you can come in and see him, okay?"  
  
Michael took Courtney's hand, "What the doctor said... it was good, right?"  
  
Courtney made a sound that showed Michael that it was indeed good. "We don't have to worry about your brother for very long, Michael. He'll probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days before he finally gets to come home with us."  
  
"We're still going to come here and see him, right?" Michael asked.  
  
"Well, someone will always be with him, but you can't because you have to go to school. After school, though, I'm sure someone will gladly bring you back to the hospital."  
  
"He's extremely well adjusted for being as young as he is," Monica observed as Michael and Courtney walked away. "You should be proud of him. We are."  
  
Carly and Sonny looked at each other at the implication. The Quatermaine's had no hold on Michael, not anymore. They let it slide for the moment, though. After all, they were very proud of Michael, too. "Is Bobbie still with him?" Sonny didn't want some person that he didn't know and didn't trust watching over his son. If he didn't know the person there was no way of telling if they could be trusted.  
  
"Yes, Bobbie decided that she should have been the one that stayed with him while I came and got you."  
  
"Wise choice."  
  
Monica ignored that comment in the same way that Sonny had ignored her quip. They shouldn't have been dueling with each other, but there was something that would always be unsaid between the families. "Come on," Monica lead Sonny away.  
  
As soon as they turned the corner, Carly was in an uproar. "The nerve of that woman! I can't believe that she said that. Why would they be proud of Michael?"  
  
"Michael is Monica's grandson by blood," Mike said.  
  
"Yeah, but you're his paternal grandfather in his eyes, and that's all that matters."  
  
"To you and to me, yes, but not to Monica and the rest of the Quatermaine's," Mike didn't care for that family, but they still had a hold on the boy through blood that shouldn't have been ignored. "They're not the type of people who just let something drop without a fight. Even if never try and take Michael, they're still going to think of him as a Quatermaine. I don't see the problem in letting them care about the boy, Carly. You've got a lot of people who care about Michael deeply and they aren't even related to him. Some of them are employed by Sonny."  
  
"That's different..."  
  
"No, it isn't, not really. Just let it go."  
  
Elsewhere in the hospital-  
  
Now that Damian had been diagnosed they had moved him out of the section that he was in and placed him in one of the more common areas of the hospital. There was actually no limit on guests in the room, but Monica felt it best that Damian not automatically be barraged by the entire family. He had been unconscious for over 12 hours, the shock could be dangerous.  
  
"I'm going to leave you alone with him," She said as she turned around.  
  
"Monica, I may not say it a lot, but I owe you my thanks for helping my son."  
  
"I was just doing my job," Monica replied. "Besides, if he is going to be a doctor, I'd rather like to keep the potentials alive."  
  
"I'll see to it that he becomes one," Sonny remarked.  
  
"Don't force him into anything... I'll be back within the hour just to check up on him."  
  
Bobbie smiled, knowing full well that Sonny had heard the good news. She could see it in his eyes, they weren't depressed. They weren't shining, but he knew that things weren't going to be as bad as they could have been. "I'm sure you've heard it from Monica, but he's very lucky."  
  
"I know he is."  
  
"I'll leave the two of you alone," Bobbie walked past Sonny. "If anything happens, his call button is on the left."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Sonny replied as he looked down at Damian. "You know, I don't really have a name for you outside of Damian. If it were Michael, I'd be calling him buddy or Mike... but with you, I don't have much to go on. Maybe your mother had a nickname for you... I wish I knew. I wish I had a chance to talk with her again, to ask her about you... but I guess if she had never died we would have never met. In her own way she presented us both with something that we could use to our benefit when she left you." Sonny shook his head, shaking out the cobwebs. "I'm sorry, I don't have very much to go on and I'm working off of a sleepless night."  
  
"M..."  
  
Sonny stopped breathing for a split second. He heard a sound come from Damian. He knew that he wasn't dreaming it. "Damian... it's me... it's dad."  
  
Damian's eyes popped open without warning and he brought himself up in a fluid movement. "Michael!"  
  
Sonny pushed the chair out of the way and grabbed his son, "Damian... stop... you're okay."  
  
"Wh-what happened?" Damian felt a searing pain in his side that made him groan and grab his ribs. "Where am I?"  
  
"General Hospital," Sonny said. "Damian..."  
  
"Dad, is Michael okay?"  
  
Sonny was glad to see that Damian still recognized him. He didn't have to worry about going through a cycle of remembering. "Yes... he's okay, thanks to you."  
  
"Why am I hooked up to all these machines?" Damian asked as he tried to pull at them.  
  
"Stop that," Sonny ordered. "You know better than to try and disconnect yourself from the IV. You were hit by a truck... you were knocked unconscious. You've got a few broken ribs."  
  
"How long was I out?"  
  
"All night..." Sonny brushed Damian's wounded head with his hand. Damian winced in pain. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Sonny sat on the edge of the bed, "You had 14 stitches in your heard because of the gash that you got when you hit the ground."  
  
"I don't remember anything... all I remember was pushing Michael out of the way. I didn't want him to get hurt."  
  
"He didn't get hurt. You saved his life. You could have died, but he almost certainly would have if he had been the one who got hit." Sonny patted his son's hand. "I don't feel that I tell you this enough, son... but you know how much I love you, right?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"When I thought I was going to lose you... I couldn't handle it. I realized just how much you meant to me and how much I didn't get to do with you. I don't want to feel that way again."  
  
Damian put his head on the pillow again, looking at his father. "They say third time's the charm, right?"  
  
Sonny laughed, "You just came out of a near-coma and you're already making jokes."  
  
"Reagan got away with it..." Damian smiled. "Dad... I love you, too. Thank you, for being with me. I know that you didn't leave me while I was unconscious. I could feel you around me. It was like I was swimming... drowning in a pool that I couldn't get out of. Something was keeping me there, I guess it was myself."  
  
"You don't have to worry about anything like that anymore. We're going to make sure that nothing ever happens to you again. Right now, though, you need to get your rest."  
  
"Maxie..."  
  
"Don't worry about Maxie right now," Sonny said. "Just concentrate on yourself. I know that she'd want you to concentrate on yourself, too."  
  
"I should call her..."  
  
"Damian..."  
  
Damian was going to fight his father, but he had a feeling he was going through a case of 'father knows best.' He didn't want to fight with Sonny. He was in no condition to. 


	14. PintSized Protector

Sonny was in rare form, silenced by his joy. His son was going to be okay. Everything that he had done, all the praying, all the wishing, had worked on some level. Did Damian know just how much Sonny fought with himself to ensure that the boy lived? Would he even care if he did know?  
  
Damian was still in a state of fuzziness. He knew where he was, he knew who he was, he had a rough idea of what was going on and what had happened, but he was still adjusting to the light and his voice was somewhat softer than it should have been. He was out for almost a day... he didn't know that he had gotten hit that hard. He remembered feeling the slightest amount of pain before he blacked out, obviously his senses were dulling that feeling so that he didn't feel all of it. Now, though, he did. Every time he tried to move his body screamed at him, especially his ribs. Sonny had told him that he had broken a few ribs. So much for that vaunted perfect record of not having a single broken bone in his life. Damian actually hadn't been in the hospital himself for longer than a few hours unless he was there with someone else, his mother or Michael being the two times that stood out in his mind the most. He was extremely tired, the meds that they had him on were breaking his stamina down so that he would force himself to get some rest.  
  
"If you want to get some sleep, if you want me to leave you alone... you just have to ask," Sonny looked at the monitors, he couldn't help himself. Maybe he was dreaming, maybe Damian was still knocked unconscious and his subconscious was just giving him the one thing that he wanted above all else. It was possible, but it wasn't something that he wanted to think about.  
  
"You wouldn't really leave me alone, would you?" Damian asked. "Even if I asked you to, you'd come back in the room when I was asleep."  
  
"What makes you so sure of that?" Sonny knew that his son was right, but he wanted to know regardless.  
  
"Because I know the type of person you are, dad. I know that you take the things that you consider to be a part of you very seriously, and nothing means more to you than your children... which I've got the fortune of being part of."  
  
"Fortune?" Sonny scoffed. "Seeing you like this, seeing you hooked up to a bunch of machines and still fighting for your life makes me realize just how unfortunate being my son is for everyone. This is all my fault."  
  
Damian stretched a feeble and shaking hand out, touching his father's arm, "You couldn't have stopped this from happening."  
  
"If I would have found out that someone was going after my kids and stopped them before it happened, I could have."  
  
"You're going to dwell on this forever, aren't you?" Sonny asked.  
  
"I failed a child, something that I promised myself I would never do. There's a few things that I do not tolerate people doing, and I've done one of them myself. How can I live with myself after realizing just how hypocritical I can be?"  
  
"Dad... you're not perfect," Damian's hand fell. Sonny felt it slide off his arm. "But... even with all of that imperfection... you're still good at being a father."  
  
"You're just trying to make me feel better, aren't you?" Sonny inquired, not believing Damian's claim. A good father would put his children above all else. A good father would always make sure that his children were safe. Sonny had thought he was doing that, but he was realizing that he wasn't doing it as much as he should have been. Damian didn't give him any answers. "Damian?" The calling of his name did nothing to spark a reaction out of the young man. Sonny felt a cold chill run down his spine at the thought that he was going to be coming out of his dream. He looked over and saw that his son was asleep again, but he had clearly moved... the medications that they had Damian on had taken their toll on him and he was still fighting to get his strength back. Sonny felt relief wash over him once more before he walked out, closing the door. He would only be gone for a minute.  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
Michael came back with the distinct marking of cake on his face, evident by the small amount of frosting that was still on the side of his mouth. Carly saw her son and laughed before grabbing a tissue and wiping the edge of his mouth.  
  
"Mommy..."  
  
"You had something on your face, Mr. Man." Carly was being nonchalant. Would Michael understand that she was just acting out on her motherly instincts because seeing Sonny act on his fatherly instincts made her feel somewhat obsolete? Sonny was running circles judging himself, and Carly knew that it was entirely unjustified, but if the situation were any different, if Carly had her child in the same situation, she would be right with Sonny. Even with it being Damian, she still felt the grief, although it was on a slightly different scale. He had hurt himself protecting her child. She had been so mean to Damian that he didn't need to protect Michael. There was no reason for him to be as attached to Michael as he was. But he was, and it was because of that unconditional love that the two shared that Michael was standing there completely healthy in front of her. She knew that if things got any better she would try and be nicer, she would try and show Damian that even though they went through a very rocky start, she was glad that he was around.  
  
"Has there been anything?" Courtney asked her father as she watched Carly tend to Michael.  
  
"No," Mike replied. "Sonny hasn't come back from the room that they took Damian into."  
  
"We should just focus on the positive things, right?" Courtney sat down. "I mean, he's not going to die, he's just got a few broken bones and he's not going to be going through anything that would compromise his life."  
  
"That's right, princess," Mike rubbed her back. "He's going to be fine."  
  
"You're right, Mike," Sonny came around the corner, a noticeable grin on his face.  
  
"Michael?" Mike wasn't entirely sure why Sonny was so positive all of a sudden.  
  
"He woke up." Sonny looked down at Michael, "Hey, buddy, your big brother is going to be okay."  
  
"You promise?" Michael asked.  
  
"He's more worried about you than he is about himself," Sonny said. "You were the first person he called out for..."  
  
"He woke up?" Courtney wondered. "Just like that?"  
  
"I was with him... hoping for something that would show me that he was still alive and I heard him make a sound before he opened his eyes and yelled out for Michael. I think he was just remembering the last moment before he lost consciousness."  
  
"Can I go see him, daddy?" Michael asked.  
  
"He's asleep right now, buddy," Sonny said. "He's still really tired and the medicine that they have him on is making him even more sleepy."  
  
"I'll be quiet," Michael stated. "I won't wake him up, I promise."  
  
"Sonny, he just wants to make sure that everything is going to be all right with his own eyes," Carly gave Sonny those pleading eyes that had worked a few times in the past. She only hoped that the record would stay with her on something that actually mattered.  
  
Sonny gazed at Mike and Courtney. While they remained silent their eyes told Sonny the only thing that he needed to know, they were agreeing with Carly. On the whole, Sonny was also in favor of the idea deep down. "Okay, Michael. But remember, be quiet."  
  
"I will," Michael grabbed Sonny's hand and walked down the hall towards the room.  
  
When they opened the door, Michael saw that Damian was in the bed and he wasn't moving. "Daddy," Michael whispered, "are you sure that he's all right?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure."  
  
"Do you think that he knows I'm here?" Michael asked.  
  
"I think he does," Sonny answered. "He said that he knew that I was with him, so he must know that you're with him now."  
  
"I'm afraid..."  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Losing him."  
  
"That won't happen, Mike," Sonny picked his son up. "I promise you that it won't happen."  
  
"How come it took him so long to wake up?"  
  
"He was really tired," Sonny said. "He needed to sleep in order to be strong enough to wake up."  
  
"But if he slept for so long, shouldn't he be up right now?"  
  
"Well... he's still tired, but he was strong enough to wake up. You know how sometimes you wake up for a minute and then you go back to bed?" Michael nodded. "Well, that's what it's like with your brother. He woke up to let us know that he was okay, but now he's still going to need to get the rest that he needs before he gets well enough to go home with us."  
  
"How long is that going to take?"  
  
"I wish I knew."  
  
"I want him to come home with us right away," Michael said. "Can't you make it so that the doctors won't be mad if we take him home right now?"  
  
"Michael, he still needs to be watched by the doctors here at the hospital. We don't have the equipment that he needs to make himself feel better at the house."  
  
"Can't you buy some?"  
  
"I suppose I could, but the machines don't do the work, the people do," Sonny hadn't thought about the possibility of just taking Damian home and giving him the care that was needed from the penthouse, but when Michael gave him that idea he thought about it and realized that it wouldn't be ideal. Getting his child the proper care was more important than keeping him put away in the penthouse.  
  
"Why did he say my name first?" Michael wondered. "Why didn't he say Maxie's name, or yours?"  
  
"I guess because you were the first person on his mind, Mike," Sonny couldn't really explain it better than he already had. "Like I said, he's still worried about you."  
  
"But I'm not the one in the hospital," Michael continued to look at Damian with an almost idle curiosity. "I'm not the one with the broken ribs."  
  
"Sometimes people can be hurt in more ways than physically. You know how scared you were last night?"  
  
"I could barely sleep..."  
  
"That's because your heart was hurting, and your mind was making you think the worst things that could have happened. I was doing that all night long."  
  
"He was right," Michael muttered.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sonny asked.  
  
"He told me once, after I had the bad dream and you were out with mommy that everyone has nightmares... you were having some last night, weren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, and they were really scary," Sonny said.  
  
"Daddy?" Michael made the name a question. He had a favor to ask, "Can you leave me alone with him for a little while?"  
  
"What? Why?" Sonny asked.  
  
"Please..."  
  
"Michael..."  
  
"I'll be careful, I swear," Michael looked at Sonny. "You got to spend time with him alone... why can't I?"  
  
"You sure you can handle it?" Sonny asked. "I know you're still scared."  
  
"You said he's going to be all right. I believe you."  
  
Sonny put Michael on the ground, "I'll be waiting outside. When you're ready, open the door, okay?"  
  
Michael smiled, "Thanks, daddy."  
  
"No problem, buddy." Sonny walked out and closed the door. What was Michael planning?  
  
Michael stood on the chair so that he could see what was going on. He grabbed Damian's hand and held it. Damian did the same thing for him when he was in the hospital. He thought it was only fair. Michael would protect his big brother... somehow. 


	15. Day of Renew

Journeylove- I love Tracy so much, every time she's on the camera she makes me laugh because she's so evil and comedic. Those scenes that she had with Jason during the time when Emily was mourning over Nikolas were priceless, so I knew I would have to write something in my story because of how great they were.  
  
Didn't I promise that he wouldn't have any problems? Yeah, I also promised that he'd be back by the end of the week... but you got midweek, think of it as a present!  
  
Story-  
  
Outside General Hospital-  
  
"You didn't need to have the driver take me here, Jason. I could have walked from the penthouse."  
  
"We're already in the car, Dillon. There's no sense in making you walk if it just means taking a few minutes and making a detour." Jason still wasn't a fan of being chauffeured around Port Charles, but he didn't have much of a choice.  
  
"I could have at least taken my stuff and brought it up the your place..." Dillon knew he was walking on thin ice, and that as long as he was staying with Jason he'd be walking on it.  
  
"Dillon... it's fine," Jason showed that he was growing less than enthused with Dillon's constant prattling. "We're already here, you might as well get out."  
  
"I'm not going to push it Jason, but I think that I should still make the offer... you know you can come with me. I'm sure Damian would appreciate you being at the hospital."  
  
For a brief second, Jason pondered his cousin's offer. He did know that Damian would have liked the gesture that would have been made by Jason standing around and waiting, but Jason still didn't want to do it. "I can't..."  
  
Dillon sighed, "Okay, I'll see you later."  
  
Jason watched Dillon leave out of the limo, the sun breaking through the darkened, bulletproof windows and making him avert his eyes. "Let's go back home," He told the driver, only looking at the hospital once while they drove off. Jason knew that he really should have made it an intention to stay around, and he swore that he'd go... but he couldn't do it then.  
  
Dillon watched the limo pull away. He was disappointed in Jason, which wasn't a feeling that he was really used to. He had always admired Jason for the way that he handled the Quatermaine's and for what he did. Jason was easily one of the coolest people that Dillon had ever met, and it was almost like he couldn't do anything wrong, but Dillon was aware that Jason had his faults. Jason's hatred of hospitals at times compromised his personal feelings for people who were in the hospital, as they were doing at that moment. If Jason didn't detest being around hospitals so much... they'd all be together.  
  
"Dillon!"  
  
Dillon turned around, only to be bombarded with a hug by his girlfriend, "Hey, Georgie!"  
  
"I'm so happy that you're here," Georgie said. "I didn't want to be here alone."  
  
"Maxie's with you, isn't she?" Dillon asked.  
  
"Well, yeah, but you know Maxie. She's in a panic right now and isn't exactly the best company. Besides, I like spending time with you more anyways."  
  
"I like spending time with you, too."  
  
Georgie could tell that Dillon was thinking about something else. "Dillon, who was that... the person who dropped you off? That didn't look like any of the limos that the Quatermaine's own."  
  
"It wasn't one of theirs," Dillon put a cynical emphasis on 'theirs.' He realized that Georgie still didn't know what had happened between him and the family. "It was Jason's limo, actually."  
  
"Jason?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Jason... Morgan?" Georgie gave Dillon a cocked eyebrow.  
  
"Georgie..." Dillon shifted about uneasily. "You don't have to be worried about anything. Jason's family... and he just happens to be the person that I'm living with now."  
  
"What did you say?" Georgie thought that she must have heard something wrong. Jason Morgan, take a Quatermaine in? Had the world begun to spin around backwards on its axis?  
  
"You heard me, I'm living with Jason and Courtney now."  
  
"Dillon... you can't!" Georgie protested. "Jason kills people!"  
  
"Jason doesn't kill anyone in his house, Georgie!" Dillon defended his cousin. "Besides, I can't stay with the Quatermaine's anymore... my mom threw me out last night before I came here."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Georgie asked. "I could have snuck you into the house and let you sleep with me or something."  
  
"As much as I love the idea," Dillon began, "we both know that we were too focused on something else last night to even think about our relationship or whatever problem I was going through with my family. After you guys left with Mike... Bobbie realized that I was lying about Monica taking me back to the mansion and she called me on it. Courtney overheard me talking and offered to let me stay with her and Jason."  
  
"And you took the offer?" Georgie still didn't agree with her boyfriend's decision."  
  
"Georgie, you know that I look up to Jason. He's the only one that managed to get out! If I didn't leave when I did I might not have ever left. You've seen the way that they stomp out everything in order to mold the members of the family into their image of perfection. You remember when I had to go work at ELQ for the summer, don't you? Remember the suit and the tie... and the hair?"  
  
Georgie smirked, "You weren't the same Dillon that I knew when you were working there."  
  
"Exactly," Dillon said. "And if I stayed in the mansion they would have eventually broken me down and made me into someone who would always be wearing something like that every day, without fail."  
  
"Still... Jason's dangerous..."  
  
"Georgie, everyone in this town is dangerous... except for you and a select few other people. I'm as safe at Jason's penthouse as I am in the mansion."  
  
"Mac won't like it if he finds out that you're living with them... he won't let me see you at the penthouse..."  
  
"Then we'll just have to keep on meeting at other places. I don't mind meeting you at your place," Dillon smiled. "Besides, you didn't go to the mansion very often..."  
  
"You didn't want me over there," Georgie said.  
  
"Because I didn't want to see them crush you like they've crushed so many other people," Dillon said. "Ned's had how many failed relationships? And of those, how many are caused because of the fact that my mother or my grandfather or someone else in my sick family was pulling at him and trying to break them apart?"  
  
"I see your point..."  
  
"Jason won't do that," Dillon continued. "He doesn't care what I do with my life as long as I do something that I want to do. He won't judge me, and he certainly wouldn't judge you..."  
  
"I'm the police commissioner's daughter," Georgie sat on one of the concrete steps. "Jason won't let you be around me..."  
  
"Yes, he will..." Dillon sat down next to her. "Georgie, it's going to work out. I can promise you that it is going to be okay."  
  
"Dillon..."  
  
"Look, you just have to trust me on this one. Are you telling me that you don't trust me, Georgie?"  
  
Georgie shook her head, "I trust you more than I trust anyone else, Dillon, but its Jason that I don't trust. He's not even in the hospital, where his nephew is fighting for his life!"  
  
"Georgie, think about it for a moment, would you? Jason lost every single part of himself at this hospital, because they couldn't save his mind. Don't you think that if the same thing happened to you it wouldn't be easy for you to just come around to the place that had changed your life forever?"  
  
Georgie was silent for a moment before she answered, "I guess not..."  
  
"We shouldn't even be fighting about this right now, Georgie. Our friend is in there and we're arguing about something that's petty and stupid."  
  
"You're right," Georgie got up. "We should be focusing on helping Damian, not fighting with each other."  
  
"Where is Maxie, anyway?" Dillon asked.  
  
"When I saw you I told her that I'd meet her up there. She's probably already at the floor where he's at."  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
The elevator opened. Maxie had to fight the tears off as she rode on the elevator, thinking that it would be the longest elevator ride she ever had to take. She would be strong. She had already done all the crying the night before. She wouldn't shed another tear of sorrow... but it would be hard.  
  
She saw the station that she was working at the night before, the place that they had their fight... the place that she saw him lying on the gurney looking like... he looked. She put a hand over her mouth to silence her whimper before she walked out.  
  
"Maxie!" Courtney called out, seeing Damian's girlfriend walk out. She had good news to tell Maxie, it was why she was so enthused.  
  
"Courtney..." Maxie turned around and walked towards Damian's aunt. "How is everything?"  
  
"He's awake, Maxie."  
  
Maxie smiled, "Really?"  
  
Courtney nodded, "He woke up when Sonny was with him... he remembers mostly everything, and I know for a fact that he remembers you."  
  
"That's so wonderful!" Maxie hugged Courtney. "I was so afraid of what was going to happen..."  
  
"We all were," Courtney replied. "But, aside from a few broken bones, he's doing really well. We got lucky."  
  
"Yeah," Maxie turned her head away, "I'd hate to think about what could have happened."  
  
"You don't need to think about it, Maxie, because it didn't happen."  
  
"Can I see him?" She asked.  
  
"Actually... right now Michael's with him, so is Sonny. We're trying to start things slow. I haven't even seen him yet."  
  
Maxie tried to hide her disappointment. If he was up she should have been with him. But she knew that his little brother meant so much to Damian and that Damian meant so much to Michael. She understood that she shouldn't have been a priority, but that didn't mean that she liked the fact. It wouldn't matter, though. She could wait an hour, a day, as long as she knew that he was going to live, she'd wait. She was going to be working in the evening, she could visit him then.  
  
"He might be asleep," Courtney said. "They have him on so many meds that he's really having a hard time staying up. He was only awake for a few moments before Sonny left him to tell us that he was okay."  
  
"How long do you think he'll be like that?" Maxie asked.  
  
"I don't know... I'd think that since he's actually opened his eyes and showed that he's fine mentally they would take him off some of the medications, but his body is still recovering from the impact."  
  
Maxie heard the ding of the elevator and saw Georgie come out. "Georgie!" She ran over, "He woke up!"  
  
Georgie smiled and hugged Maxie, "I'm so happy!"  
  
Dillon let the sisters have their moment. He saw Courtney and walked over, standing next to her. "At least Maxie won't be worrying as much now..."  
  
"Yeah," Courtney looked over at him. "You sleep okay?"  
  
"Better than I have in a long time," Dillon chuckled. "There's something to be said about sleeping more peacefully when I don't have to worry about grandfather waking me up with some sort of reprimand."  
  
"He started yelling at you that early?"  
  
"If he had any reason to yell, he used it," Dillon quipped.  
  
"Well, you don't have to worry about that with Jason, he almost never yells." It was true, Jason wasn't the type of person who let his emotions control his actions.  
  
"We went back to the mansion and got some of my stuff, he took it back to the penthouse. I told him that Damian would have appreciated Jason being around..."  
  
"Dillon, Jason will come and see Damian on his own time. He works in odd ways when it comes to visiting people at the hospital."  
  
"I know," Dillon slumped down on the chair. If Damian was up, all that mattered was waiting around until he could see him. At least the wait wouldn't be as long and horrendous as it was the night before. Maybe now everyone could rest. He took a quick glance over to Maxie. He'd never seen her that happy in his life, even after the date she wasn't beaming with such warmth. As long as everything stayed the way it was, as long as there were no complications, Dillon knew that they would find a way to be together and be happy. Maybe Jason didn't even need to come around, not if Damian was going to be all right. 


	16. Kodak

Outside of Damian's room-  
  
Carly had found that her finite amount of patience had since been long used up. Even though she was happy to know that Damian was okay, and she was very happy to know that everyone, the only exception being Jason who would end up finding out later, was aware of that fact she was wondering why Michael hadn't come back yet. She didn't care that she was more than well aware of the fact that Sonny would protect him if something happened, she wanted to know what was going on. She had slipped away from the crowd and soon enough was walking around the hospital, looking at the file names that were on the folders, hoping that one of them would be Damian's. She didn't even have to look at the folders after some time, since she saw Sonny standing outside. But... why was he outside? "Sonny!" Carly quickened her pace, not running but at least power walking.  
  
"Carly... what are you doing here?" Sonny was surprised to see his wife, he didn't expect her to be anywhere near Damian for awhile.  
  
"Where's Michael?"  
  
"Inside," Sonny pointed to the door. "He said that he wanted to spend some time alone with Damian, so I let him."  
  
"Sonny... someone could take him."  
  
"Carly, I've been standing right here since Michael asked me to leave. We're on the 4th floor, nobody is going to sneak up into the window and take either of them."  
  
"I'm just being paranoid," Carly admitted. "When I think about the fact that someone was intending to hurt my Mr. Man... it makes me want to scream."  
  
"Now that I don't have to worry about Damian making it through this, I can focus on other things... one of them is finding the bastard that did this and making that person pay for hurting my family."  
  
"I'm surprised that you're not already on the hunt," Carly said. "You're going to be out for blood, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, but I have something else that I need to take care of first... before my vengeance can be sated."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Carly asked.  
  
"I'm going to head out to Los Angeles later tonight," Sonny said. "Mike told me that I wasn't being fair to the Zuniga's by keeping them in the dark about this, and for once I agree with him."  
  
"Sonny, you don't owe those people anything," Carly hadn't even met them, but it was true, Sonny didn't have to do anything for them. "They kept your son from you for twenty years!"  
  
"Because I'm a dangerous person and they know that!" Sonny defended his son's family. "Besides, I do owe them. They raised Damian better than I could have."  
  
"Sonny, you're a great father. You've done such a wonderful job raising Michael and making him the type of person that he is today, and you're going to do the same for Morgan when he gets old enough."  
  
"I know I'm a good father," Sonny replied. "At least I know I'm a good father now. Carly, I wasn't even 20 years old when Damian was born, I was barely a kid and I had a son that I didn't even know about. The things that I've learned have been through years of watching families get torn apart because of the things that I did or saw someone else do. I didn't know any of that when Damian was growing up... I wouldn't have been able to raise him. I'm glad that the Zuniga's kept him from me... at least on some level."  
  
"You're not being fair to yourself..."  
  
"And I wasn't fair to them," Sonny cut her off. "But I'm going to try and fix that. They deserve to know, and I don't want to tell them over the phone."  
  
"What if they get angry with you?" Carly was somewhat worried.  
  
"You think I can't take care of myself?"  
  
"You know that I'm well aware of the fact that you can handle yourself without any trouble, Sonny. What I'm saying is that you can only take care of yourself physically, these people, if they do attack you, are going to do it emotionally, and that's where your weakness is."  
  
"I'll be fine, Carly," Sonny hugged her. "But thank you for looking after me."  
  
"Someone has to do it," Carly muttered.  
  
"I'm going to ask Jason to come with me," Sonny let go. "I know how much he doesn't want to be here so I wouldn't ask him to watch over Damian while I was in Los Angeles. Besides, if I get cold feet, which I might, he could force me into going and telling them."  
  
"Courtney will stick around, probably," Carly had a feeling that Courtney would gladly stay watch while Sonny was away.  
  
"Yeah, but Courtney's not good enough to make me not worry. I'm going to have some guards watching outside the hospital until Damian gets out of here. I can protect my family from my house, but I can't be everywhere at once. Michael will be safe, Morgan will be safe, and as long as I know that I have people watching around here, so will Damian."  
  
"See?" Carly stated. "You're putting your children's safety over everything, even your desire to find the person who did this and make them pay. You're a good father, Sonny. How many times do I have to tell you?"  
  
"Maybe I just like hearing it," Sonny murmured. "Maybe I just like knowing that I did something right... at least once."  
  
"How long has he been in there?" Carly wondered, trying to change the focus and get Sonny off the pity train.  
  
"A little over half an hour, I think," Sonny was guessing since there wasn't a clock anywhere that he could see and the cell phones were still down.  
  
"What could he be doing?" Carly walked past Sonny and opened the door a little bit. When she saw what was in front of her eyes she made a gasp and put her hand over her mouth to cover any sound that she would have made. "Sonny, come here..."  
  
"What? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Just look," Carly propped the door open a little more. Michael was asleep, holding his brother's hand, sitting in the chair, his head resting on the side of Damian's bed. "I'd kill for a camera."  
  
"I could arrange it," Sonny remarked.  
  
"Look at him," Carly smiled. "Look at them. I never thought Michael would have someone that he could depend on as much as you and Jason... but I guess he has someone now, doesn't he?"  
  
"Someone who can watch over him and Morgan if something should go wrong," Sonny put his hands on Carly's shoulders. "I'd trust him to bring our boys up."  
  
Carly was quiet for a moment, but she had an answer as well, "So would I..." Even at his worst, which Carly had thought she saw, Damian was still a lot better than she could ever hope to be. Carly had a history of being vindictive and conniving, something that Damian just couldn't bring himself to be.  
  
"Come on, let's leave the two of them alone," Sonny whispered as he pulled Carly softly away from the door, closing it as quietly as possible.  
  
Even though the door didn't make a very big sound, it still stirred Damian from his drug induced slumber. The moment of disorientation passed by safely and he noticed that he had someone holding onto him. He looked down and saw that it was his little brother. Damian laughed a light chuckle that had him nearly tearing up. Michael cared about him as much as he cared about Michael. "Hey, kid... wake up..."  
  
Michael moved slightly, moaning and rubbing his eyes. "What?"  
  
"You didn't have to stay here until you went to sleep, you know," Damian hadn't looked at himself in the mirror, so he didn't know if his appearance was something that Michael would find grotesque and frightening. He was still the same person, but had something happened? He'd seen enough videos, he knew that he could have been disfigured in the accident. It didn't matter though, he was alive, that was all he needed.  
  
Michael smiled, "You're up!"  
  
"Yeah, I'm up."  
  
"I thought you were never going to wake up," Michael admitted. "I thought you were going to leave me again."  
  
"What'd I tell you before? I told you that no matter what, I'd never really leave you."  
  
"Still... I thought you would."  
  
"It's okay to be afraid from time to time," Damian said. "I was worried about you when I woke up."  
  
"I'm okay," Michael replied. "At least I'm not as hurt as you are..."  
  
"You've got a nasty bump on your head," Damian observed.  
  
"So do you," Michael countered.  
  
"I'm sorry about what happened, Michael. I shouldn't have let you go ahead of me... I should have made you wait."  
  
"It's not your fault, it's mine."  
  
"No, it isn't," Damian didn't want his little brother taking the blame for something that wasn't even his fault. "Whatever happened, it doesn't matter anymore, does it? I'm fine, you're fine, and we can still be a family."  
  
"Grandma said that you got hurt pretty bad."  
  
"I'm sure once these drugs wake up I'm going to be in a whole lot of pain, but I can survive the pain if it means that I get to spend another day with you and the other people that I love."  
  
"You were asleep when I came in," Michael said. "I had to watch in order to make sure that you were breathing."  
  
"I'm fine, Michael, I swear."  
  
"But your bones..."  
  
"Are going to heal, so stop worrying."  
  
"Damian, I can't help it."  
  
"Focus on the positive things in life, Michael. It's the only way that we can get through this. Where's dad?"  
  
"Outside, I think. He said he'd wait for me. I didn't think that I was going to fall asleep."  
  
"I'm glad that you stuck around, I don't mind waking up with you around," Damian felt a slight pain in his ribs, but he silenced his agony as much as possible, not trying to scare his brother. "Why don't you go get dad and let him know that I'm up?"  
  
"Okay," Michael walked towards the door. Damian watched, well aware of the fact that he had someone who he'd do anything for. Even if he would have died, he would have known that it was worth it. 


	17. Slate

Authors Note: You all make my jaw drop, really. I've gotten near 30 reviews in a single day... this is going to take awhile for me to respond to EVERYTHING. But, thanks for showing your continued support. Still... so many reviews, wow. Some of them are doubles, though. Don't know why FF.net did that, probably because of the fact that they are oft times moronic in such ways.  
  
Kayla- I was so going to put a note on the other story that I had moved to a second part... but I completely forgot! Luckily, you managed to find out what had happened for yourself, so I don't have to worry about it anymore. Although it's not really a sequel, per se.  
  
Jason and Michael have a very interesting dynamic that really isn't shared with anyone to the degree that it is with the two of them. Even Jason and Emily's relationship doesn't always invoke the same kind of humanity that comes with Jason and Michael, which is why I enjoy writing the two of them together. You're right, Jason should go to the hospital, but he can't always act fearless and dutiful.  
  
Dillon has been dealing with being Tracy's child for many years, I think he's developed a sort of immunity to the situation. I don't know, I think having Tracy as a mother would be interesting, to say the least.  
  
Glad you like the development with Dillon and the Morgan's.  
  
You know, it's funny that you feel so horrible for them, but you can't wait to see what happens. I guess I'm making this whole thing seem like a really bad car wreck and you just can't turn away, even though you want to. It's good, though.  
  
A cute Journey moment is just what the doctor ordered. I hadn't given the two of them a real moment in some time, which was sad since they're my favorite couple (real couple, I've vested interest in the Daxamillian relationship, but that's to be expected). 'Sides, Dillon adds to the dynamic.  
  
Hooray for positive spins of niche coupling! Do we really see any of Mike/Sonny on the show, yes, but not much. How about Bobbie/Monica? Do we even see Bobbie... ever? Nope.  
  
If any child, regardless of gender, got Jason's eyes... they'd be something else once the whole dating thing came into play. Jason would be a very foreboding father, though. I know I wouldn't want to take the boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet daddy. Plus, they'd have 'Unca Sonny.' Maybe it's a good thing that Jason and Courtney can't have kids... okay, no, it isn't, but that family would be pretty complicated.  
  
I understand why someone would feel bad for Georgie, but did you get her mixed up with Maxie or are you just trying to feel for the 'other' Jones girl. Of course, I know that Georgie is so much more than just Maxie's sister, but Maxie is much more central to the story than Georgie.  
  
Michael will need severe help in the end, when everything is said and done, but he'll have his family around him. Unless they all get shot up...  
  
Yes, Jason is showing that on some level he can care for his family, not just Emily. If anyone else in the Quatermaine clan, save the beloved Lila, could get something from Jason it would have to be Dillon, hence the situation at hand.  
  
I'm sure once you got to the next chapter you got the news. Don't you love it when I don't have long cliffhangers?  
  
If I ever get to posting chapters... since all these reviews and my responses are taking some time (which is not bad), you'll get more of the 'finding out' that you want. I think.  
  
Michael is something else, ain't he? I do adore him ever so much.  
  
If you've learned one thing from my story, I'd hope it would be that happiness is ever so fleeting. Especially in my world.  
  
See? Told you that kid was adorable...  
  
Joy-  
  
I had lots of reviews from lots of people to read. My head still spins from trying to get them all responded to in a timely manner. Since I wasn't watching during the Frisco part, I don't really know what he was about, although from what I have read he's a lot like Luke in the respect that a picket fence with kids just wasn't in his overall plan. Of course, Luke (sometimes) handles his responsibilities whereas Frisco doesn't. However, aren't you glad that Mac is there instead? Dillon and Georgie wouldn't be nearly as amusing if Mac wasn't there to get in their way constantly.  
  
I spent... what, 100 chapters painting Carly to be the evil vindictive uber- bitch that she can be, but now I'm trying to give her a chance of character and I'm glad that it is coming across. I'm getting less of the 'I hate Carly so much in this story, she's so mean!' reviews, which is good since I've always liked Carly and known where I wanted to take her. Michael is very much like his father, but better to be like his adoptive father than his birth father. A mini-AJ? Yes, all we need is for Michael to become a drunk and drive a car with Morgan in it, get into an accident, and Morgan suffers brain damage. Not a fun idea.  
  
Having just read the chapter, I didn't find much about Dillon that was amusing, I think I know how to make him funny, don't get me wrong, but that particular chapter was much more a Tracy/Jason round 2 fight to the death. Still, I'm glad you thought it was humorous. Good thing I'm referencing parts of the show that I wasn't around for correctly. Yay for me.  
  
In the two and a half years (give or take) that I have been writing, I've found that I'm very good at doing pathos, obviously if I can make a simple conversation between Michael and Mike seem that special, I'm doing my job right. I'm glad.  
  
Happy part of the story? Well, maybe for a little bit... About Monica, she didn't do anything wrong. She never acted on her instincts, she just had them. She has a lot of hatred in her heart for Sonny, the man who 'stole' both her son and her grandson from her. However one sided her feelings may be, they're not entirely without legitimacy. Plus, she knows how much of a danger Sonny's life is, and Damian would always find himself in that dangerous life as long as he stayed around his father. Besides, it really is impossible not to have personal feelings in any job, doctors should be no different.  
  
I've said it before and I will say it again, I do not like children at all. They bug me to no end, but Michael and Dylan Cash do not adhere to the rule. I adore that child so much, in the same way that I adore the little monkey... I mean Morgan. Michael's this strange amalgam of a child. Someone who is mature, but naïve, who understands things but doesn't. He's an interesting character, one that I can't help but love. Or, maybe I just have a soft spot for redheads. If I knew a child like Michael, I'd do everything I could to keep him safe... I don't know, he's just like this 'perfect' child, even when he acts out and falls down wells...  
  
There are plenty of times that people recover without complications in the real world, but if you're talking about more than just 'physical' complications, then you are correct. It wouldn't be a soap story without something that caused such conflicts, would it?  
  
Journeylove-  
  
Glad to see that my slow process of converting the people who loathed Carly so much in the beginning are starting to like her some.  
  
Did I say that there was going to be a surprise about Damian's past? I hope I didn't, I know I said that he would have his innocence greatly compromised by the end, though. If you're looking for something in Damian's past, I'm sorry but you won't get it by the end of the story. The aforementioned innocence lost moment is in the story, though.  
  
At last, completed with the reviews!  
  
Story-  
  
Carly sat down on the edge of the wall, putting her hands in her hair and running them through gently. "You know, Sonny... I never realized how much I owed your son until today."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sonny asked.  
  
"I kept on trying to cloud myself and my judgment on him. I would always tell myself that he was a bad influence on Michael and that he would eventually be a bad influence on Morgan when he got old enough, but I was wrong."  
  
"Carly... if you're trying to tell me that you appreciate him saving Michael's life..."  
  
"It's more than that!" Carly said. "I was so mean to him... I did everything that I could to make him leave, to get him away from you and Michael, but I shouldn't have fought as hard as I did to keep you separated."  
  
"You know, he wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world to you when he first got here," Sonny got a chuckle out of remembering that first night, before they knew everything, before Sonny's whole life changed. "You were just scared, and when you're scared you're prone to doing some pretty stupid things."  
  
"Sonny... I don't like it when you say that I do stupid things."  
  
"What do you want me to say that you do, Carly?" Sonny wondered. "How can I properly sugar coat the response?"  
  
"You could say that I made mistakes..."  
  
"No, I like calling them stupid more," Sonny grinned.  
  
"Sonny, come on, you're insulting my intelligence!"  
  
"I would never do that," Sonny picked Carly up by the hand and held her. "You're one of the smartest people that I've ever met, Carly, but you let your passions cloud your judgment and that can get you into a lot of trouble."  
  
"I'm not the only one who is guilty of such a crime, you know," Carly retorted. "You're just as bad as I am with that particular situation, Mr. Corinthos."  
  
"Have I mentioned how cute you look when you're defending yourself?"  
  
"Maybe a few times," Carly gave a sly smirk, "but that doesn't mean that I don't want to hear it a few more times."  
  
Sonny kissed Carly on the lips, it was passionate, but it wasn't the type of passion that they usually shared. No, it was tender, it was special. He didn't want to do anything with Carly, he was in the hospital and he was preoccupied, but that didn't mean that he didn't love his wife any less.  
  
Michael opened the door and saw his parents kissing. He would have smiled, but he was still at that age where kissing was viewed as something that could only be disgusting. "Daddy..."  
  
Sonny stopped kissing Carly and turned around. "Yeah, buddy? I thought you were asleep."  
  
"I woke up," Michael responded. It was a very Jason-like answer, one that showed how much influence Jason still had on the boy.  
  
"Is everything okay, Mr. Man?" Carly asked.  
  
"Damian wants to see you, daddy," Michael told his father.  
  
"He's up, too?" Sonny vividly recalled the moment that he saw with them sleeping next to each other. That hadn't even been five minutes prior. Funny how quickly things changed. Sonny let Carly go and walked over, pushing the door open slightly.  
  
Carly walked past Michael and looked in. She knew that they only wanted one person in the room at a time, but she felt that she had to say something.  
  
"Sorry about falling asleep on you, dad," Damian pushed himself up, trying to pay some attention to his tender ribs, but failing. Just because he was studying to be a doctor didn't mean that he understood everything about how the human body worked.  
  
"It's okay," Sonny was nervous. He could see how much strain Damian was putting on himself when he was moving. Couldn't that put his health in danger again? "Damian, you really shouldn't be moving. You've got some broken ribs and a bruised tailbone."  
  
"I'm not going to sit around and not do anything," Damian retorted. That, too, was a very Jason-like answer. "Besides, I don't have any intentions of leaving this bed anytime soon, I just needed to move so that I could look at you on a more even level."  
  
"Isn't it putting you in danger of risking your health again?" Sonny asked.  
  
"Right now I think everything that I do could put my health in danger," Damian remarked.  
  
"That's not funny..."  
  
"It wasn't meant to be," Damian deadpanned. "I know I'm going to be all right, dad, but I also know that the road to recovery isn't going to be a very fun time."  
  
"Damian..."  
  
Damian heard his name called, he was shocked when he saw that it was Carly who had said it. "Hi... Carly."  
  
"How are you feeling?" Carly realized that it was a stupid question, but she was in one of those situations where the only questions that she could have asked would have been stupid questions. It seemed to be the question that wasn't as stupid as the rest of the questions that were running around in her head.  
  
"I've certainly had better days," Damian tried to sound humorous, but it was rather difficult to put a humorous spin on the situation when his ribs were taped together and he was still connected to a heart monitor. "Carly... I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?'  
  
"For not watching him better," Damian looked down at the IV that was attached to him. "If I had been paying more attention, none of this would have happened. I'm sure that Michael went through a lot of trauma because of what happened to me, and I can't apologize to you enough for that. I know how much you try and shelter him from anything like this... and I failed you both."  
  
"You didn't fail," Carly stated. "You saved my little boy's life, because of that I am going to be eternally grateful."  
  
"You don't have to be," Damian was glad that she wasn't taking his head off, it was one of the things that he was afraid of. He'd been the victim of Carly's temperament more times than he cared to admit, he'd rather not go another round with her. "Besides, I owe Michael, too."  
  
Michael, having heard his name, walked in. "You don't owe me anything."  
  
"You called the people who came and got me, didn't you?"  
  
Sonny and Carly looked at each other. Of course Damian wouldn't know who did make the call that probably saved his life, he was unconscious at the time.  
  
Michael shook his head, "It wasn't me, Damian."  
  
"Who was it then?"  
  
"That doesn't matter," Sonny cut in before Michael could answer.  
  
"Yes... it does," Damian fought his father. "Dad, I have to know who I need to thank."  
  
"It was the bad man," Michael said. "The bad man and Elizabeth were there when you were hit."  
  
"Uncle Ric?" Damian looked to his father for more information, sadly knowing that he wasn't going to be finding any objectivity from anyone in the room about the person in question.  
  
"I don't know what really happened, but from what I heard Elizabeth made the call while Ric stayed with you." Sonny brushed it off, "But you don't owe Ric anything."  
  
"I do, I owe him my life... him and Elizabeth."  
  
"No," Sonny ordered.  
  
"Dad... you have to accept that he was the one that helped me," Damian was grateful. "Or would you have rather that I died on the street instead of being saved by your half brother?"  
  
Sonny didn't like where the conversation was going, and he also didn't like the fact that Damian was right. He needed to get over the grudge, at least in that instance. If it weren't for Ric, Damian would have been dead. "I don't want you dead."  
  
"Neither do I," Carly said.  
  
Damian looked over at her and smiled. It was the first time that she admitted that. He wasn't sure about how much she appreciated him being around, but it was apparently getting to be more and more as time went by.  
  
"I'm going to Los Angeles later tonight," Sonny said. "I'm going to tell your grandparents about what happened."  
  
"You don't have to... I could just call them..."  
  
"I want to be the one to tell them that you're in the hospital, and I want to do it in person."  
  
"But I'm fine..."  
  
"I know that, but I have to do this for myself. I have to know that I can acknowledge the people who raised you."  
  
"Is it really that important to you?" Damian wondered. "They would appreciate a phone call. I haven't talked to them in some time."  
  
"I'll give them the phone number to the room when I go over," Sonny said. "I wanted to wait until you were going to be okay... or until I knew that you weren't going to be okay in order to tell them something."  
  
"Who gave you this bright idea?"  
  
"Mike..."  
  
"Grandpa?" Damian was astonished that the man who had abandoned his family could be so compassionate towards another family in such a time. It made Damian respect Mike more, which was something that he had to admit there wasn't a lot of. It wasn't that he didn't care about his grandfather, but he knew that Mike had failed both Sonny and Courtney in the ways that mattered so much. Maybe it was because he went so long without a father that he knew what it was like and he hated the fact that there were people in the world who knew that they had children and they just left them.  
  
"I'm going to take Jason with me, too," Sonny continued. "He'll want to get out of Port Charles."  
  
"Is he here?" Damian wondered.  
  
"No," Carly answered. "But you know how much Jason hates hospitals."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"I'm sure that he'll come eventually," She said.  
  
"If he doesn't, I understand." Damian shifted focus again, "Could you guys tell Maxie that I'd like to see her?"  
  
"Sure," Carly nodded.  
  
"I'll stick around until she gets here," Sonny said.  
  
"Dad... I'll be fine."  
  
"Don't fight me on this one, kid," Sonny stated. "The only way that I know for sure that you're going to be okay is if I know that you were never left alone."  
  
Damian rolled his eyes and groaned, "Fine, you win. Carly, please tell her."  
  
"Come on, honey..." Carly took Michael's hand. "We'll come see brother again in a little while."  
  
When they turned around the corner, Damian looked at his father, "That went better than I expected."  
  
"I told you that the two of you would eventually stop fighting and become friends."  
  
"You just love being right, don't you?"  
  
"It is a favorite pastime of mine," Sonny grinned and chuckled. It was good to be able to laugh and joke around with his son. 


	18. Reunion

Waiting Area-  
  
"Maxie..." Carly came around the corner, Michael in hand. "He wants to see you. He's in room 467."  
  
Maxie's face lit up. She gave Dillon and Georgie a quick glance, both were making motions with her hands that were telling her to hurry up and go. That was what she did. She knew that running in the hospital wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, and while she wasn't on duty as a candy stripper she should have still kept up the etiquette of the workers in the building. She did what any good girl would do, she walked, but she wasn't slow about it.  
  
"He woke up again?" Courtney asked Carly. She had wondered where her best friend had gone off to, and she should have realized that she was going to look for her son.  
  
"Yeah," Carly sat down next to Courtney, putting Michael on her lap. "He seems to be fine."  
  
"He is, mommy," Michael looked up at his mother. "I know that he's going to be fine."  
  
"You're right, sweetie," Carly agreed. "He's going to be fine."  
  
"Did you talk to him?" Courtney asked Michael.  
  
"He told me that everything was going to be okay, and I believed him," Michael replied. "But he was sleeping when I went in there, so I just waited."  
  
Carly, recalling the moment, looked at Courtney and mouthed the word 'adorable' at her friend. Courtney smiled and giggled a little.  
  
"I'm glad that you got to talk with him," Courtney said. "I know how worried you were."  
  
"Daddy's still worried," Michael said.  
  
"Your daddy worries about a lot of things too much," Courtney informed her nephew. "He's just finding something to worry about because it makes him feel better."  
  
"He's going to go back to Los Angeles later tonight," Carly told Courtney. "He wants to tell Damian's family about what happened... in person."  
  
"I think it's a good idea," Courtney said. "But I'm surprised that Sonny came up with it."  
  
"He didn't," Mike chimed in. "That was my idea."  
  
"Dad?" Courtney looked at her father. "And he listened to you?"  
  
"I was blessed twice today," Mike quipped. "Maybe I should go get a lottery ticket..."  
  
"I don't think so, dad," Courtney cut that idea out of Mike right away. She knew that if he got one he'd want to get more and then he'd lose himself to the same problem that took him away from both of his children.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that, princess. I was just saying that I've had a very good day," Mike looked over at Michael and winked.  
  
"He's probably going to take Jason with him," Carly continued. "At least that was the way he made it seem when he told me about his plan."  
  
"Jason will go with him," Courtney said. "But that means that he won't be here..."  
  
"He isn't here right now anyway," Carly pointed out. "Courtney, I know how much you want him here, but we have to respect the fact that he just can't bring himself to do it. Besides, he'll eventually come, he did for Michael, remember?"  
  
"When he was asleep," Courtney countered.  
  
"The important part was that he was showing that he cared in his own way," Carly defended Jason from Courtney, which was something that she didn't expect to ever do. But she knew that this was one of those areas where the two of them had very conflicting morals, it was just a pity that it wasn't the only area that they had such problems.  
  
"You're right," Courtney conceded.  
  
"Sonny might ask you to stick around while he's gone," Carly was sorry that she had to be somewhat mean towards her best friend, but this was one of those rare cases where the two of them didn't agree and where Carly knew that she was right. "He doesn't trust the hospital staff here to watch over his son while he's gone." She took a quick glance at Georgie, "No offense."  
  
"None taken," Georgie wasn't even a member of the hospital security, but she wouldn't have taken offense even if she were. She knew how much Sonny's life put people at danger and she wouldn't have expected anything else from Sonny Corinthos. She'd probably find herself swarmed by extra guards when she went to go visit Damian.  
  
"I'll stay, sure," Courtney didn't mind, it actually showed that Sonny had a lot of trust in her. While she knew that already it was a good thing to be reaffirmed of such things. "At least I know I'll get to see him."  
  
"Can I stay, too?" Michael asked.  
  
"Honey, you've got school tomorrow," Carly hugged him. "You know that Damian is going to be all right, and he'll be here for you tomorrow when you come visit him after you've done all your homework."  
  
"If he's still here next weekend..."  
  
"I don't think he will be," Carly cut Michael off. She didn't want to think about the boy being in the hospital for an entire week. He wasn't that injured, was he?  
  
"But if he is, can I stay then?"  
  
"We'll talk about it if it happens when the time comes," Carly knew it wasn't the answer that Michael wanted, but it was the only answer that she was going to give.  
  
Elsewhere, General Hospital-  
  
Maxie had been through the halls of the hospital so many times in the past, but she had never done it while she was looking for someone that she cared about. Despite her knowledge of the hospital she couldn't find the room that Damian was in for the life of her. She was beginning to feel like someone was trying to keep them apart, like the hospital had somehow been changed into a labyrinth. Maxie stopped looking for a second and cleared her head, knowing that it was her subconscious that was pulling the tricks on her. She thought about how many times she had been through the halls, what the layout of the hospital was. She knew she was in the right area, but which side was she looking for? The left... right? Maxie focused again and saw that she was only a few doors down. Relieved, she continued down the several doors that she had left before she found the one and pushed it open.  
  
Sonny was standing by the bed. He saw Maxie and smiled. "You sure you don't need anything?" He asked Damian.  
  
Damian looked at Maxie, "I've got everything that I need in front of me, dad."  
  
"I didn't give him that line, I swear," Sonny told Maxie.  
  
"Its fine, Mr. Corinithos."  
  
"Maxie..."  
  
"Oh, sorry..." She corrected herself, "Sonny."  
  
"That's better," Sonny walked out of the room, looking in one last time before he closed it, "I'm going to talk with my sister and Mike, tell them what's going on. I'll come see you again before I leave, though."  
  
"Thanks," Damian told his father.  
  
"One last thing... don't try to do anything on that bed. You've got broken ribs, I doubt they'd be kind..."  
  
"Dad!" Damian glared at his father.  
  
"Sorry, couldn't resist," Sonny laughed softly before he closed the door. Again he told himself that it was good to be able to laugh with his kid.  
  
As soon as the door closed Damian put his head against the pillow, "I'm sorry. I didn't know that my father would do something like that."  
  
"You're blushing," Maxie pointed out.  
  
"I'm embarrassed," Damian replied. "I mean, here I am, on a hospital bed with several broken bones and he's telling me not to do anything with you. Ignore the fact that I'm a virgin for a second and just focus on the fact that I'm not an idiot, I know what I shouldn't be doing."  
  
"Do you think you can do something that doesn't involve sex?" Maxie asked.  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
Maxie leaned in and kissed him on the lips briefly before pulling away. "That."  
  
"Well, I didn't complain, did I?" Damian saw that Maxie was crying again. "Maxie..."  
  
"Sorry," She said, wiping away some of her tears. "I just... never thought I'd be able to do that with you again."  
  
"I'm sorry that I put you through this," Damian said. "I haven't been fair to you. I put you through everything that you went through when I was in jail... then I can't be honest with you... and now this."  
  
"Why are you apologizing? You had nothing to do with anything that happened. Besides... about the argument we had yesterday... it was my fault. I know that you can't talk about everything that happens in your life... I can't talk about everything in my life either even though you've asked me to. But you respect the fact that I have a boundary and I couldn't do the same for you. I wasn't being fair."  
  
"You wanted honesty... and I couldn't give it to you."  
  
"You were as honest as you could be," Maxie didn't want them to have another fight, especially now. She just wanted him to know that she loved him. "Can we talk about something else?"  
  
Damian sat up, "Yeah, I don't think we should be doing this right now."  
  
"You sure you don't need anything?"  
  
"I need you to promise me something," Damian said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That you won't change my bedpan..."  
  
"Stop," Maxie giggled. "Stop trying to make me laugh."  
  
"I can't help it," Damian began, "I love it when you laugh."  
  
Maxie blushed, shifting focuses again, since bedpans weren't exactly the most romantic topic that a couple could have. "My father sends his best."  
  
"He does?" Damian was, in a word, stunned. Mac didn't mind Damian being around his daughter anymore, but concern wasn't something that Damian would ever expect from Mac.  
  
"He likes you."  
  
"No he doesn't."  
  
"Yeah he does," Maxie reiterated. "He saw how much you helped me when I needed it, more than once. He appreciates you and all that you mean to me."  
  
"Oh," Damian was reduced to a state of near speechlessness. "Well, tell him I said thanks."  
  
"You know, I'm not going to leave your side. I'm going to keep on working as much as I can while you're in here."  
  
"Maxie... I don't want you putting yourself at risk because of me."  
  
"How am I risking anything?"  
  
"I mean you can't keep on overloading yourself with work because of something happening to me. You spent the entire time I was in jail working as much as you could because it helped you lose focus, and I'm sure that came at the cost of your grades."  
  
"What about your grades?" Maxie pointed out.  
  
"I'll just have to spend a whole lot of extra time studying," Damian groaned. "Bad enough one class usually takes a week of my time, now I've missed an entire week of class and there is no telling how much more I'll miss because of this. Maybe I should just give up..."  
  
"You can't do that," Maxie grabbed his hand. "You can't give up! You never give up on anything!"  
  
"You think I can do this?" Damian asked. "You think I can recover from everything that's happened to me?"  
  
"I know you can," Maxie smiled. "You're the strongest person I've ever met, you're the one that I know can do anything if you want to do it. I know you want to keep on succeeding in life and you want to keep on studying for your career in medicine. I won't let your doubt take that dream away."  
  
"I love you," Damian whispered, "you know that, right?"  
  
"It was the only thing I was sure of last night," Maxie sat on the bed. "The only thing that helped me get through everything..." 


	19. Old Wounds

Ric Lansing's home-  
  
He kept his word, and he even went above and beyond it by regulating himself to the couch for the night. Elizabeth was drained by the time they had managed to get into the house. She was fortunate that Ric had kept the clothes that she left in the old house after they had filed for divorce. They hadn't spoken very much after they arrived. Elizabeth, after failing to fight off Ric's insistence that she take the bed because she was, in actuality, his guest, kissed him on the cheek and went into the room, closing the door behind her and changing.  
  
Ric shifted uncomfortably on the couch for the whole night. Part of it was because he was still worried about his nephew, the other part being that the couch just wasn't a very comfortable place to sleep. Maybe even a small amount of his discomfort was due to the fact that Elizabeth was with him at his home again at last, but they weren't together. They weren't in the bed like they had once been. They weren't holding each other passionately as they once had. Everything had changed. It was getting better, there was no denying the fact that things were getting better, but if they would ever be as good as they once were was anyone's guess. Ric wanted them to go back to the way they were, but he knew better than to allow himself to have such foolish hope.  
  
Even Elizabeth, nestled safely behind a locked door on Ric's bed didn't get much rest. How many times had she pondered making the offer that Ric could come into the bed with her? But she was afraid that he would say yes. They promised one another that they would just be there together in case one of them needed the other, and in a way they would always need one another. Their love, problematic as it was, was a strong and binding love that could never really be taken away from either of them. Elizabeth had spent months trying to force herself into believing that it was gone, but she realized that she was wrong and that it would never be gone. It would always be there. Strong and beautiful, the one thing that she knew she could always look on fondly when it came to their relationship. She had so much that had haunted her about her time with Ric that it was a miracle she didn't check herself into a mental institution. It wasn't unexpected that she was feeling the way she was. After all, so much had happened to both of them while they were seeing one another. They had the situation with her losing her baby, their baby, and then almost dying because Ric was feeding her pills to keep her from having any further babies so that they could take Carly's baby. Worst of all was seeing Carly in that room and knowing that Ric had been lying to her for so long about having nothing to do with what happened to Carly. She and Carly weren't friends, but Elizabeth didn't want Carly to suffer in the way that she did at the hands of Ric.  
  
Elizabeth got out of the bed and opened the door, hearing the latch unlock as she made her way into the living room. Ric was lying on the couch, his arm slumped over the side. Elizabeth smiled, she couldn't help it. Sometimes Ric looked like a little boy when he was sleeping. This was one of those times, when he was innocent, when he wasn't going to hurt anyone. She knew that Ric wasn't out to harm anyone. If he was, why would he have done the things that he did for Damian? It would have been easy for Ric to just ignore the true feelings that he had for his nephew and view Damian as one of Sonny's children, one of Sonny's children who just happened to be at his mercy. Ric could have stood by and let Elizabeth do everything, because she wouldn't have stood by and done nothing while her friend was lying on the sidewalk injured. But he didn't Ric actually acted out of compassion for once in his life, something that she thought he could only do with her. Ric was a complex person, there was no denying it. He had a lot of things that went on his life that he needed to address but for whatever reasons didn't. In that respect he was very much like his brother, they rarely, if ever, owned up to their mistakes. They were too proud and too stubborn to dare admit that they were wrong. It was why they had constantly found themselves at the throat of the other. They could have just as easily stopped their silly feud and worked towards something better, but they never would.  
  
Ric heard someone coming up towards him. He got off the couch in a hurry. Being Sonny's brother, and worse, Sonny's enemy taught him to always be woken by the smallest sounds, knowing that they could be someone that was out to hurt him. His mind didn't register that it was probably Elizabeth, all his mind registered as that someone was making a sound and that someone wasn't him. Maybe it would always be like that, even if they managed to work things out and be happy with each other. Could his mind stop for a second and realize that Elizabeth wasn't a threat to him? Probably not, but it was a nice thought.  
  
Elizabeth practically jumped up when Ric spun out of the couch in such a hurry. She put her hands out, "Easy, Ric, it's just me."  
  
Ric blinked, "Elizabeth? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."  
  
"It's okay," Elizabeth lowered her arms slowly. "We're all on edge right now. I don't imagine that anyone who knows what is going on with Damian had an easy nights sleep."  
  
"I know I didn't..."  
  
"Ric, I would have been comfortable on the couch," Elizabeth took a few light steps towards Ric. "I've slept on couches before."  
  
"Elizabeth, I wanted you to be comfortable."  
  
"I wouldn't have wanted to be comfortable if I knew that it would have caused you to be so uncomfortable," Elizabeth sat down on the other end of the couch. "I don't want to be selfish."  
  
"You're not selfish, why would you think that you're selfish?"  
  
"Because... of a lot of things, I suppose."  
  
"You want to talk about them?"  
  
"Not really..."  
  
"Elizabeth, you can trust me. You've never not been able to trust me."  
  
Elizabeth shook her head, "I wish that was true."  
  
"Are you saying you don't trust me?"  
  
"I trust you now, Ric," Elizabeth began, "but I haven't always trusted you. There was a time in my life when I couldn't trust you, and that time has just barely passed by me. I've always known deep down that you could be a kind hearted person if you let yourself drop all your defenses, but I spent so much time trying to cloud myself to that fact that I wasn't able to see it until recently."  
  
"I've proven to you that I'm a changed man, haven't I?" Ric wondered. He had changed he wasn't driven by revenge, he was driven by his love for her.  
  
"You have," Elizabeth said. "And I love who you are now. I love that person more than I love the man that I fell in love with."  
  
"I've always loved you, Elizabeth. From the moment I saw you... there was something special, something that told me that you were the one person that I could find salvation in. That's what you do for me, you know? You gave me something that allowed me to save myself from the worst thing that could have happened to me."  
  
"What's that?'  
  
"Myself, my lust for revenge..."  
  
"You've changed everything about your life since that time, Ric," Elizabeth looked around, everything was new. There was almost nothing from the old house that was in the apartment. The only thing that was the same was the picture that they had taken... it was still there, still in the same frame. The one thing that hadn't changed in Ric's new apartment was the one thing that hadn't changed at all, his love for her. "Why did you sell the house?"  
  
"I couldn't stay there," Ric said. "It was supposed to be our dream house, the place that would let us begin the perfect life before I ruined everything. I couldn't stay there knowing all the hopes that we had given to that place and knowing how much I'd destroyed those hopes."  
  
"Well, there's no denying that you did that," Elizabeth said. "But there's also no denying that I haven't forgiven you. You're sick, Ric... and I don't mean that in a bad way, but you find yourself so vexed by this thing you have against Sonny that it poisons you."  
  
"I'm trying to change," Ric defended himself because it was what he was used to. His mind was telling him that he wasn't under attack, but his mouth wasn't listening.  
  
"Yes, you are... and you've taken those first steps to becoming the man that I knew you could have been, the man that I would gladly be in love with."  
  
"I'm glad that you stayed here..."  
  
"You had a point, we needed each other on some level. Even though we were quiet and we didn't talk I felt better knowing that you were outside the room protecting me."  
  
"I'll always protect you, Elizabeth."  
  
"Do you want to go back to the hospital?" Elizabeth wondered. "I know how much you don't want to end up getting into another argument with everyone there."  
  
"I can't let my family, the family that hates me, stop me from being around the family that doesn't hate me," Ric said. "Even though I'm sure that I'll be grilled and accused of things the minute that I walk inside... I can take it. He needs everyone in Port Charles that cares for him to be at his side."  
  
"You want to take a shower first?"  
  
"Elizabeth, you know that you should go first."  
  
"Ric, I made you sleep on the couch."  
  
"Its fine... my spine will realign itself eventually." Ric moved up and kissed her on the lips. "Now, please, take your shower. But don't use up all the hot water."  
  
"I thought you liked cold showers."  
  
"I only told you that because you would always use up all the hot water and I didn't want you to feel bad," Ric smiled. "I'm sure that I have some of your clothes that were left when you moved out somewhere."  
  
"Why'd you keep them?" Elizabeth asked. "Why didn't you give them to the goodwill or something."  
  
"Because they were a reminder that you loved me once, Elizabeth. A reminder of the best time in my life, a time that I would never want to forget. Even if I did lose my mind, I would still have something that would help me remember. The feel of the dress that you wore when we got married, it would fill me with memories that I could never forget. Something to remember."  
  
Elizabeth got off the couch. She thought about offering Ric the chance for them to take a shower together, but she couldn't. She loved Ric, she truly loved him, but how much was she willing to give to him this time? It was a question that she didn't quite know the answer to. 


	20. Future In Hands

General Hospital-  
  
Sonny came up to the family and the friends of his son. Where they had once looked on with somber and misery, they were now filled with hope and bright thoughts. He was grateful that Damian had created a family in Port Charles. The way that he had come from Los Angeles, a young man looking for everything and having almost nothing, finding what he wanted and making an impact on so many lives. It was awe inspiring and humbling to Sonny. Even though he didn't know the boy as well as he would have liked, Sonny could still proudly claim without a doubt that he was honored to have Damian as his son.  
  
"Maxie's in there with him," Sonny said, looking down at Michael who he was also very proud of. Even though Michael had been unstable due to the events that had transpired, he still managed to keep himself as grounded as possible. He cried, he worried, but those weren't unexpected. "Everything seems to be fine. Aside from a few times when he'll drift into a drug induced sleep, he doesn't have any problems with anything. His body is taking the blood that they gave him to help bring the amount up since he lost so much last night. I'm sure he would like to see all of you, but right now his attentions are somewhat diverted."  
  
"We can wait," Dillon said.  
  
"We'd have to," Georgie agreed. "Maxie would kill us if we cut into her time with Damian, she was so worried last night."  
  
"We all were," Sonny concurred. "But that's behind us now. The only thing we have to worry about now is helping him recover."  
  
"Do you know how long that's going to be?" Courtney asked.  
  
Sonny, not being a doctor and having very little knowledge in the ways of medicine and recovery times, could not give his little sister any definite answer, "No clue." Sonny sat in a vacant chair, "We're going to wait until the hospital releases him and then we're going to take him back to the penthouse so he can recover at home. I don't care how much it costs, I'll hire a nurse to watch him until he gets better."  
  
Georgie thought that Maxie would probably volunteer to be Damian's caretaker, which wasn't something that Mac was going to allow, not that it would stop Maxie. Still, Georgie didn't want the two of them arguing about anything, especially after all that had happened. Regardless, Mac would draw the line at letting Maxie hang around Sonny's penthouse. If they ever did end up committing to a long term relationship, which is how things were looking for both of them, the relationships that it would cause between Mac and Sonny would be interesting to see play out, if not potentially dangerous. The crime lord being an in-law with the upholder of the law. It was the stuff that made great fiction, but if it happened in Georgie's life it would be anything but fiction.  
  
"We'll all help, Sonny," Mike said. "Whatever you need us to do, we'll do it."  
  
"Thanks, I appreciate that," Sonny nodded an affirmation to his father, which made Mike even more elated than it would have normally. Sonny thanking him was a rare and beautiful thing, after all.  
  
"Do you need us to do anything right now?" Mike inquired. "I'm sure you're tired, son..."  
  
"I'm fine," Sonny replied. "I've had plenty of years to perfect the sleepless night routine."  
  
"Sonny, maybe you should get some rest... just in case," Carly chimed in, looking out for her husband's health know that Damian's was no longer in danger. Even if it was, she'd still look out for Sonny, even though she knew that it would have then been futile.  
  
"I'll sleep on the ride to Los Angeles." Sonny looked over at Courtney, "Did anyone tell you about that plan?"  
  
Courtney nodded, "I think it's a great idea, Sonny. Those people deserve to know what happened to their grandson, he's as much a part of their family as he is part of ours."  
  
Sonny was still somewhat cautious about talking to the Zuniga's. They would never be friendly with one another, especially Elias and himself. They couldn't forget the past that had created the events that they were in now. They were barely civil with one another the last time Sonny went over. Knowing that Sonny couldn't protect his grandson might anger Elias greatly. Sonny could deal with it, but he would rather there be no more bad blood between himself and his son's maternal side of the family than there already was. That was why he needed Jason, because he needed someone to be there with him, to stop him from running. Partly to stop him from being like Mike was when Sonny needed him. "I need to call the airport, get the jet ready. I should change, too," Sonny got up. "I'll check back before I leave, but if there is anything that happens, find a way to get in contact with me and I'll be back in a flash."  
  
"Give Morgan a kiss for me," Carly requested.  
  
"Of course I will," Sonny gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Buddy, you watch out for your big brother, okay? He needs you right now."  
  
"I won't fail him, daddy," Michael replied, somewhat naïve to the situation, but knowing that his father was trusting him with a very important situation.  
  
"I know you won't, buddy," Sonny hugged Michael, "you never fail me, never."  
  
Michael laughed at the compliment, thinking that there was something that was amusing about it. When Sonny let go and headed for the elevator, Michael waved, "Bye, daddy."  
  
"Bye," Sonny grinned and looked at everyone else, giving a silent farewell to them all.  
  
Courtney looked at Carly, "It's great to see him so happy again."  
  
"I know, I thought we were going to lose him again, but we didn't. We didn't lose anything."  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
"Yeah, honey?"  
  
"Can we go get a soda?"  
  
Carly grinned, "Yeah, sure."  
  
Courtney got up, too, "I'll come with you, I could use a drink." She looked over at the teens and her father, "You guys want anything?"  
  
They all shook their heads, none of them being thirsty.  
  
Some Time Later, Corinthos Household-  
  
Sonny came into the house, throwing his jacket over the couch. He hadn't been home in over 12 hours, it felt good to step inside a place that he was comfortable in. It felt even better to know that he could bring his son home to that very same place in time. "Leticia?" Sonny called out for the nanny.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Corinthos?" Leticia came down, holding Morgan in her arms from his room on the top floor. "Is everything fine?"  
  
"Everything is great," Sonny remarked. "Damian pulled through and he's going to be fine."  
  
Leticia was very happy, "Oh, thank God."  
  
"That's who we need to thank," Sonny mused, mostly to himself, wondering if his prayers had any sort of effect on the situation. "Could I hold Morgan?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Leticia handed him over without any doubts in her mind. Sonny was the boy's father, and while he often allowed himself to let his temper get in the way of his judgments, she knew that Sonny was a good father. "I'll go and get some food ready for him."  
  
"Thanks, Leticia," Sonny called out as she walked into the kitchen. Holding Morgan in his arms made Sonny somewhat nostalgic. He loved it when he held his children, when he felt that he was the one person that could protect them from anything and everything. "Hey there, little guy," Sonny put his index finger out to Morgan, who grabbed it with his diminutive hands and gurgled. "Did you know what was going on?" Sonny asked, not really expecting an answer from an infant who couldn't even talk. "Did you know that big brother was in trouble? Well, even if you did know, you don't have to worry anymore, Morgan. We saved him, the doctors and God saved him from leaving us. You're going to grow up with one of the best role models that you could ever get. He'll watch out for you, I know he will. If anything should happen to me, I know that he'll do his best to see that you and Michael grow up and become good men." Sonny was slightly overcome with his emotions. He felt himself shaking. He had come so close to losing everything that mattered to him, so close. "Sometimes daddy forgets just how precious you boys are to me, but I know that I'll never forget that again."  
  
Jason came in, hearing Sonny call his name when Sonny came up via the elevator. He saw Morgan in Sonny's arms, "Something wrong with Morgan?"  
  
"Does there have to be something wrong with my baby for me to hold him?" Sonny asked, somewhat snappy, although that wasn't his intention.  
  
"No," Jason said, "I just jumped to conclusions because I don't really know what to feel right now, I don't know what's going to happen to our family, Sonny. I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be, Jason, I know what you're going through better than you think. You know how many times I swore on everything that I was, the entirety of my being, that I couldn't let my son die last night?"  
  
"Sonny, what happened wasn't your fault. I know that you're thinking it was, but you can't think like that. It couldn't have been helped. You had no way of knowing that it was going to happen."  
  
"There's always a way, Jason," Sonny corrected his right hand man. "There's always a way of knowing that someone is trying to come after my family. I was just sloppy and I wasn't paying attention, look at the price that I paid because of it."  
  
"Why'd you call me?" Jason wondered. It wasn't that he didn't want to know that everything was going to be okay with Damian, but Jason sincerely doubted that it was the reason Sonny had wanted him to be around.  
  
"We're going to Los Angeles tonight," Sonny said.  
  
"Sonny, should you really be concentrating on something like that right now? Your kid is in the hospital, I don't want you to be irrational again, my leg's just starting to get back to what it used to be."  
  
"I don't intend on going there with any sort of violent intentions," Sonny said. "I want to tell the Zuniga's what happened."  
  
"Is that a good idea?" Jason wondered. "I mean, the last time that you went over there it was to save their grandson from being killed by the widow, and now you're going to tell them that he was almost killed again..."  
  
"Jason, they have to know," Sonny gazed at Jason. "I can't go through my life thinking that they don't exist. They mean too much to Damian, I can't expect him to abandon the people that made him the man that he is today just for my selfish needs."  
  
"Why do you need me?" Jason didn't mind that Sonny wanted him around, but he still wanted to know.  
  
"I'm worried about what is going to happen to me, what I'll do. I don't really want to go see them by choice, Jason. I feel that I have to do it for my son and that is the only reason why I'm even thinking about it."  
  
"You're putting what your children want in front of yourself, Sonny. You've always done that. Why is this any different?"  
  
"It just is, Jason." Sonny looked at Morgan again. "I think about everything that I did as a father with Michael, and with Morgan. We didn't have a perfect time raising Michael and Morgan's birth was one of the most complex times in my life, but I managed to be around for my children when they needed it. I wasn't there for Damian. Everything about our relationship is different from the ones that I have with his brothers because he's such a different person."  
  
"You're still a good father to him," Jason said. "He's told me that you're a better father than he would have ever expected."  
  
"Has he?"  
  
"Yes," Jason walked over to the bar and poured himself some water. "He might not always show it, Sonny, but he cares about you more than you think. He looks past the fact that we do what we do, that you're the person that you are. It's hard for him, and sometimes he can't do it as much as he'd like, but he manages to separate the person you are professionally to who you can be to him as a father. It's an important distinction, one that lets him keep on being around us."  
  
"How do you know this?"  
  
"It's strange... we talk," Jason took a drink of his water. "You know how much I don't like doctors, and I don't think that I ever will... but with him, I know that I'd feel safe if he were the one that was doing something to me, no matter what it was. I wasn't expecting to care about Damian as much as I do, maybe because I was so cautious about him in the beginning or just because I don't open up a lot, but I do care about him."  
  
"He cares about his Uncle Jason," Sonny smirked.  
  
"That's still a little hard for me to hear," Jason retorted. "But I'm glad that he views me in that way. When do we leave?"  
  
"Later tonight. I'm going to change and then head back to the hospital to say goodbye before I leave Port Charles. You're more than welcome to come."  
  
"I'll think about it. You need anything special?"  
  
"I doubt it, but just to be on the safe side we're going to take a couple men with us."  
  
"Good idea," Jason put the glass down and head out. "I'll get on it right now."  
  
"Thanks, Jason," Sonny called out as the door closed. Looking down at Morgan again, Sonny Corinthos saw a future that he could be proud of. 


	21. Usurper

Note: Remember, folks, tomorrow starts the 3 chapters a day posting rule. Less suspense for ya'll!  
  
Kayla- Yeah, I kept those two crazy kids away from each other for too long, didn't I? But now, all is well in the world... for a little while longer.  
  
Story-  
  
General Hospital-  
  
Ric and Elizabeth walked out of the elevator hand in hand. They had not been made aware of Damian's new condition, so they maintained a distraught look on their faces that the others had all managed to wipe off of their faces. Ric had thought about calling the hospital and asking for information, but he had an idea that Sonny would have barred any of the staff from informing him about anything that was related to his nephew's condition.  
  
"Oh, God," Carly muttered, seeing Ric's sight would always disgust her. "And I thought we'd have gotten rid of him for a day or two."  
  
"I'm just a concerned..."  
  
"Save it, psycho," Carly cut in. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses."  
  
"Carly, maybe you should stop being so judgmental for once in your life, especially when it comes to people's mental states," Elizabeth bore no true malice against Carly, but she was being unfair to Ric and Elizabeth couldn't stand by and just let that happen. "He happens to care about Damian a whole lot more than you ever have."  
  
"You listen to me, Elizabeth, you don't know how much I care about my step- son, so don't go and attempt to tell me how I should and shouldn't feel, okay?"  
  
"I seem to remember more than a few conversations where he was telling me how much you wanted him out of his father's life, Carly. He came to me, confided in me because he knew that he could trust me, which was something that he didn't feel he could do with you."  
  
"He can trust me now..."  
  
"Can he?" Elizabeth asked. "Can he really trust you to take care of him right now? Or would you just look at what happened to him as another mark to get him out of your life so that you don't have to deal with him?"  
  
"That's enough, Elizabeth," Ric put his hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "I think you've made your point."  
  
"Just leave," Carly held on to Michael, who was hiding behind her. He hated it when his mommy was angry and yelling. The one person who made her act that way more than anyone else was the bad man that was in front of him. The bad man that had taken her from him and from everyone else. The bad man that... had saved Damian. It was an important distinction, one that didn't sit well with Michael's conscience. His father had told him that Ric was incapable of caring for anyone, but Michael could clearly see that Ric did care for Damian, he could also see that Ric cared for Elizabeth. Michael liked Elizabeth, and he liked her even more since she helped him when he needed someone to hold him.  
  
"It's a public hospital, Carly," Elizabeth pointed out. "Everyone has a right to be here."  
  
"Elizabeth, there's no reason that we should be arguing right now. Why don't we go and get a cup of coffee?"  
  
"Ric..."  
  
"Please," Ric pleaded. "I just don't want to argue with anyone right now."  
  
"Maybe... someone should, I don't know, tell him that things have gotten better." Dillon made a feeble attempt to be the voice of reason. Everyone in the gathered area shot him a dirty look with the only exception being Georgie, who still cocked an eyebrow, the type of gesture that wondered if he had really said what he said. Dillon had to rebound. "Look, I know how much he hurt all of you, and I'm not saying that I'm particularly fond of the guy either, but he helped Damian out a lot lately and he did come because he cares..."  
  
"He doesn't care," Carly argued, "he's just using this as fodder in his never-ending battle against Sonny."  
  
"Do you really think that he's that manipulative?" Dillon wondered.  
  
"Yes!" A unanimous answer from Carly, Courtney, and Mike that bombarded Dillon from three directions.  
  
Dillon slumped in his chair, dejected and defeated. He really should have refrained from saying anything. Maybe it wasn't a good idea living with Jason if there was going to be such opposition to what he had to say. Or, maybe he'd just keep his mouth shut the whole time. That would work to his advantage.  
  
"I know what you're trying to do, Dillon," Courtney said. "And I appreciate the sentiment, but none of us are going to be talking to Ric about anything that has to do with our family..."  
  
"He'd want Ric to know," Dillon muttered.  
  
"What makes you so sure?" Carly inquired.  
  
"You might not want to hear this right now, Carly, but you're letting your hatred of the guy blind yourself to what Damian would want, and that's why we're here. We're not here to support old grudges, we're here to help someone that we all happen to care about. He's my best friend and I'd like to think that I've gotten to know him pretty well in the month that we've known each other. I know that he views Ric as a member of his family, even if you people don't choose to take the same stance because to Damian the blood is all that matters. I'm not asking you to forgive Ric, and I'm pretty sure Ric's not expecting you all to just drop whatever grudge you're nursing, but if none of you are going to tell him then are you going to stop me from doing it?"  
  
"Dillon... you shouldn't get involved in this," Geogie said.  
  
"Georgie, I'm just going to tell Ric that his nephew is going to survive. Is that so bad?"  
  
"No," Mike huffed, swallowing his pride and pain that had been caused by Adella's other child. "As much as I hate to admit it, Dillon, you're absolutely right. We shouldn't be fixated on our grudge with Ric right now."  
  
Courtney turned away. Dillon was independent, much like Jason, but that also meant that he was going to express his opinions, even when people, herself in particular, didn't wanted to hear them. She appreciated his honesty and, in a way, his bluntness. She knew that he was right, but she, much like her father, didn't want to admit it. She thought back to the night before and pondered what would have happened to Damian had Ric not been there to be at his side. If Ric hadn't have been there, neither would Elizabeth. Michael would have been alone watching his brother slowly bleed to death. That would have been a blow that he would have never recovered from. She owed Ric. Much as she hated to admit it, she owed Ric. But she couldn't forgive him, no matter what. Without looking at Dillon, she concurred that he was correct, "I shouldn't be so selfish, especially right now."  
  
Carly said nothing, she just rolled her eyes and sat in the chair again.  
  
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Dillon got up. "Try not to plot my death for being a usurper while I'm gone please."  
  
Cafeteria-  
  
"Ric, why do you let those people abuse you so much?" Elizabeth asked. She had stayed silent while they were walking, but the question nagged at the back of her mind and she wanted it to be answered.  
  
"Elizabeth, they have every right to hate me as much as they do."  
  
"You haven't done anything lately that they should be angry at you for," Elizabeth said. "You've helped them more than you've hurt them and they can't see that. They're being selfish."  
  
"I know that, and I'm so grateful that you feel that way," Ric poured a cup of coffee, "but that doesn't mean that they aren't right on some level."  
  
"You're here to help someone that you care about!"  
  
"Elizabeth, like I said, I don't want to argue about it with anyone, not even you."  
  
"Ric, I thought we could talk about anything," Elizabeth took the cup. "Why aren't you talking to me about this?"  
  
"Because this isn't the time," Ric answered. "I don't know... maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I doubt that having any negativity between us isn't going to be helping Damian at all. I know how much it hurt him that Sonny and I weren't as close as brothers should be, and I can't help but think that he still feels that way."  
  
"You're letting people beat on you verbally... to protect him?"  
  
"In a way, yes," Ric smiled sadly. "Pretty dumb, isn't it?"  
  
Elizabeth returned the smile, but hers was filled with love, "No, I think it's sweet."  
  
"Hey," Dillon called out.  
  
Ric turned around, "What? Are you here to take a potshot at me, too? Maybe I did something to the Quatermaine's that you just feel that you have to blast me for."  
  
"Actually, I wanted to tell you that Damian woke up earlier."  
  
"He did?" Ric was shocked, he wasn't expecting such a recovery. A part of him wasn't expecting any sort of a recovery to be truthful.  
  
"Yeah, he saw Sonny, Carly, Michael and Maxie is in there with him right now," Dillon didn't like Ric, he wasn't going to say anything that indicated that he didn't loathe Ric, but he was a Quatermaine, he was sick of petty family feuding. "He's got a few broken ribs and that head wound will still need some observation, but aside fromt hat he should be fine."  
  
"That's great," Ric stated. "I'm so relieved."  
  
"So am I," Elizabeth agreed. "Thank you for telling us, Dillon. We really appreciate it."  
  
"Yeah, sure," Dillon turned around and left.  
  
"Maybe everyone isn't so bad," Ric observed. "Maybe there's hope for us all... in some way."  
  
"Do you really believe that?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I? I've become a believer of a lot of things lately, Elizabeth. First you came back to me, and now my nephew's life isn't in danger. I don't know what I've done to get this kind of positive karma, but I don't want to lose it."  
  
"You've started doing positive things that help people, Ric," Elizabeth said. "When you do that, good things happen to you as well."  
  
Ric hugged Elizabeth, "What did I do to deserve you in my life?"  
  
Elizabeth, with no actual answer of her own, just continued to hug Ric, hoping that her unwavering love would always be enough. 


	22. That Which Can't Be Done

Hours Later, General Hospital-  
  
"How long has she been with him?" Georgie asked, both worried about what Maxie was doing and wanting to actually see that her friend was okay with her own two eyes as well.  
  
"Georgie," Dillon put a hand on her cheek, "you and I both know that to them it's not like any time has passed. But, if you must know, it's been a few hours since she went in there."  
  
Even though Ric and Elizabeth were 'allowed' to stay at the hospital, the only ones who had so much as passed a look at them since they arrived were the teens. Occasionally Michael would glance over, but he would quickly turn around, his fears and preconceptions about Ric taking control of his mind as they would always do as long as Sonny was allowed to unjustly poison the boy's opinions. Maybe one day Michael would be allowed to think for himself. Ric realized that it was likely a good thing that Damian had spent so much time separated from his father, it allowed him to forge his own path in life, something that would likely be denied to both Michael and Morgan.  
  
The ding of the elevator made the sound that signaled someone arriving. Sonny walked out of it, holding his jacket and in a new suit. He saw Ric, Ric saw him, they shared a moment of intense staring, but they stopped themselves from saying anything. "Everything's ready," Sonny announced. "I just came to tell him that I was leaving..."  
  
"Did Jason agree to go along?" Courtney asked.  
  
"Yeah," Sonny responded. "But he had something that he had to take care of first."  
  
"What could be so important..."  
  
"Making sure that he's okay with my own two eyes," Jason came out from behind the wall that made everyone unaware of the fact that he was there.  
  
Courtney smiled and hugged her husband, "I knew you'd come, I knew you'd find a way to show that you cared about him."  
  
Dillon and Georgie were also pleased with the resulting events. Dillon knew that Jason was driven by a strong sense of family, it was apparently something that didn't die with the accident, although the shift of family did.  
  
"I figured it was the right thing to do," Jason said softly.  
  
"And I'm sure you came to that conclusion all by yourself," Courtney joked.  
  
"No, I had a lot of help," Jason corrected. His eyes looked up at Dillon for a moment before turning towards his wife again. "Have you seen him yet?"  
  
Courtney shook her head, "We've been waiting for a few hours, Maxie's been with him since Sonny left."  
  
"She's still with him?" Sonny wondered. "Girl's got stamina, I'll give her that. The plane is leaving in 45 minutes, so we really need to go in there right now. Come on, Jason."  
  
"I'll tell him that you're still waiting, okay?" Jason knew that it was tearing at Courtney that she hadn't done anything for her nephew since Damian landed himself in the hospital.  
  
"Please..."  
  
"Mr. Corinthos..." Georgie called out meekly, "could you please remind my sister that there are still other people that want to spend a moment of time with her boyfriend and remind her that she shouldn't be monopolizing his time?"  
  
"English, Georgie, English," Dillon whispered.  
  
"I mean, tell her that she should let someone else spend some time with him." Her correction seemed like it was simple enough.  
  
"I'll do what I can," Sonny said.  
  
"I can't believe Ric's here," Jason observed as soon as they were far enough away.  
  
"I told you that he was probably going to be around," Sonny admitted sadly. "Much as I would like it to be otherwise."  
  
"And you're just letting him stick around? That doesn't seem like something you would do."  
  
"I've got to do this," Sonny mentioned. "No matter what my grudges with Ric are, I can't let that get in the way of Damian's recovery. If that means learning how to swallow my pride and let that bastard stick around for a little while then so be it."  
  
"Elizabeth won't let him do anything that would hurt Damian," Jason assured Sonny. "She cares about him and would protect him, especially now."  
  
"I think you're right, but she also loves Ric."  
  
"I've tried to show her that she's wrong," Jason mused. "She just refuses to listen to whatever it is I have to say."  
  
"Her choice, her mistake," Sonny quipped. "I know you'll keep her from being a casualty in Ric's war against us, but you have to be ready to accept that it might happen because she's letting herself be blinded by her foolish love for my brother."  
  
"I just hope that it doesn't get that far," Jason said, holding his hopes up high because he knew that Ric would always end up regressing into the jealous little brother that he was.  
  
Sonny opened the door to Damian's room. Maxie looked over and gave a slight smile. Damian had managed to go back to bed. "Hi," Maxie said, not showing any sort of fatigue despite the fact that she had pretty much been sitting in silence for an extended period of time. Sonny was used to it, but Sonny wasn't a talkative teenager like Maxie. He would have thought that it would have driven her insane. Obviously, it hadn't.  
  
"How long has he been sleeping?" Sonny asked.  
  
"A little over an hour," Maxie moved a strand of his hair away from his face. "We were talking, and then he just stopped talking. I was worried for a little bit, but his monitors didn't show that he was flat lining. He told me that he'd probably get knocked out at random intervals, too."  
  
"Thank you for staying with him." Sonny remembered the message, "Georgie said something about you taking up all the time with Damian and that other people wanted to see him."  
  
"I just didn't want to leave him alone."  
  
"I'm glad that you stayed with him," Sonny agreed. "I'm sure he was glad that you stayed with him, too."  
  
"I can't believe that everything has happened the way it has," She admitted. "We were supposed to do something together... once he got out... but now..."  
  
"Maxie, he's going to be fine," Sonny remarked. "I'm not going to let anything else happen to him, not while I can protect him."  
  
Maxie knew that she could trust Sonny's word. If there was anything that he was good at, it was keeping those that he loved out of danger when he knew how. She got up from the chair, "I'm sure he'd want to talk to you alone, and I've got to get ready for my shift... if he wakes up tell him that I'll be checking up on him as much as I can."  
  
"I'll do that," Sonny watched her leave.  
  
She stopped and looked up at Jason, "He'll appreciate that you came to see him, Jason." She walked away, not giving him a chance to say anything.  
  
"She's right, you know," Sonny spoke for his son. "He wants to see everyone at least once."  
  
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Jason replied.  
  
"If you don't want to stick around, Jason, he'd understand. He wouldn't think less of you. He knows what it's like to have a fear of these places."  
  
"I'll be fine," Jason protested, once again showing that he refused to be treated like a special case just because of his disability.  
  
"You going to wake up, son?" Sonny asked Damian.  
  
The sound of his father's voice broke Damian out of his sleep. He saw his father first, "Hey..."  
  
"Look who came to see you..."  
  
Damian looked over and saw Jason. Still groggy, he managed a smile, "Uncle Jason..."  
  
"Sorry it took so long," Jason's face was still as blank as he could make it, but it was easy to tell that he was relieved that he saw Damian alive and well.  
  
"Its fine, I'm thankful that you came," Damian sat up. "Where'd Maxie go?"  
  
"She has to get ready for her shift," Sonny relayed the message that Maxie had asked him to. "She'll be checking up on you from time to time."  
  
"She doesn't have to..."  
  
"But she will," Sonny remarked. "Nothing's going to stop her from making sure that you're okay. I could put Max in front of the door and she'd find a way to get in."  
  
Damian chuckled, "You're right, she'd find a way."  
  
"We just came to see you before we left," Sonny took one look at the monitors, just to be sure that he needed to go. Everything was stable. "Do you want me to tell them anything?"  
  
"Not to worry," Damian replied. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Not to blame you."  
  
Sonny smiled, his son was looking out for him. "You know that you don't have to defend me."  
  
"They'll take you apart, dad," Damian remarked. "My family... is odd. If they think that you're responsible for this, which they will and there's nothing that we can do to convince them otherwise, they're all going to be on you like a pack of rabid wolves. Maybe you could appeal to my Nana... but certainly not Papi."  
  
"I'll do what I can," Sonny was even more nervous now than he was before. "I'm going to get Courtney... Jason, stay with him until I get back."  
  
"Sure." Jason and Damian watched Sonny leave.  
  
"How's the leg?"  
  
Jason couldn't help but let out a light chuckle, "I'm walking around and you're laid up in a hospital bed and you're asking me how my leg is?"  
  
"Gets my mind off of everything," Damian admitted. "Everyone was so scared... and now they're not, but I'm still scared."  
  
"Why? You're going to be fine..."  
  
"This time," Damian muttered. "But what if I don't get so lucky the next time?"  
  
"There won't be a next time."  
  
"There's always going to be a next time, Uncle Jason," Damian stated. "Dad's always going to have enemies that want to take him down by any means necessary. I don't care what happens to me, I just want to keep my family and my friends safe, but if I'm gone I can't do that."  
  
"You shouldn't worry about that right now," Jason sat down. "You need to focus on getting well."  
  
"I'm focused on getting out of this bed, I need to keep on studying..."  
  
"You should take it easy."  
  
"I can't," Damian sighed. "Taking it easy in this family is just going to get me killed..." 


	23. Reprieve

Joy- Carly's a slow learner, but once you hammer knowledge into her head hard enough, it seems to dent her thick skull. Indeed, Damian could be a catalyst towards a better relationship between Adella's boys, but it won't happen... at least not unless I do a sequel (don't get your hopes up).  
  
Daxamillian is a fusing of Damian and Maxamillia (Maxie's full name), in the same light of Journey, Liason, and other such pairings. I don't know what you're going to do, I'm already feeling a huge void since I don't spend hours working on the story at a time. Maybe start reading something else?  
  
I love characterization and dialog, it's what I do.  
  
Dillon's more than a Japanese Anime influenced hairstyle boy. He's pretty damned smart and insightful, too! Besides, I wanted to make him an important character, even more so than before. Everyone can 'accept' what Ric did, but they don't have to like it, nor do they have to like him.  
  
Go pathos! Go pathos! Or, maybe, you're just too emotional? Not that it's a bad thing, mind you...  
  
Story-  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
Sonny came back, officially ending his shortest visit with his son since Damian had been admitted into the hospital, it actually meant that things were getting better so the lack of length was a good thing. He saw that Georgie was gone and figured that she had gone to chase after her sister, probably starting with her shift at the same time as Maxie since they often volunteered at the same time. "Courtney, we need to get going, but... I know how much you want to see him and I feel better knowing that someone is with him at all times," Sonny walked over, "Jason's waiting for you to get into the room before he comes with me."  
  
Courtney got up, "I know his room number, I'll go right now," Courtney walked passed Sonny but halted. "Sonny, remember why you're going back to Los Angeles, to tell his family about what happened, nothing else. Don't make this a crusade to make yourself look better in the eyes of those people, just tell them what they need to know and come back."  
  
"I don't have any intentions of sticking around there, Courtney," Sonny said. "Believe me, I don't want to stay very long."  
  
"Daddy..."  
  
"Yeah, buddy?" Sonny looked down at his boy.  
  
"Why are you so afraid of going to see Damian's family in Los Angeles?" Michael's question was innocent only because they all knew that the boy didn't understand the subtext behind everything.  
  
"It's complicated, Michael," Sonny muttered.  
  
"But it shouldn't be. They're his family and we're his family, should that mean that we all get along?"  
  
"I wish everything could be so simple," He moved his eyes to look at Ric, who also knew that Sonny was looking at him. If things were that simple, being family would be enough. "But I did something that I shouldn't have done when I was younger than Damian is... and it hurt them very much."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it right now, buddy," Sonny admitted. "But, when you're older I will be happy to tell you..."  
  
"Why do I always have to be older in order to understand anything?" Michael huffed. "That isn't fair! I'm not a little boy!"  
  
"Michael..." Carly grabbed her son. "Don't lash out at your father like that, this isn't his fault."  
  
Michael calmed himself down slightly, "Sorry, daddy..."  
  
"It's okay, buddy, I know how frustrating it can be to not understand everything and still have questions that you only want to have answered. But you have to understand that you don't know what it's like to go through the things that grown ups go through right now. When you do everything will become a lot clearer."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Yes. Michael, I promise." Sonny grinned. "Now, give daddy a hug and make sure that you watch over your brother while I'm gone, okay?"  
  
"When are you coming back?" Michael asked as he wrapped his arms around his father's waist.  
  
"I should be home by dinnertime tomorrow," Sonny was giving himself some time to talk to them and then fly home right away. "Maybe earlier, maybe later. You'll know when I'm on my way home because I'll call."  
  
"We might be here..."  
  
"I'll call his room, then," Sonny remarked. "You can't keep me from anything, Mike, you know that."  
  
"Because you always get what you want, right, daddy?"  
  
"Always," Sonny finished. He moved over and kissed Carly, "Tell Jason that I'll be waiting for him in the car."  
  
"Be careful, Sonny."  
  
"I'm always careful, Carly." Sonny walked away, leaving the family alone again.  
  
Damian's Room-  
  
Jason wasn't sure what he should have been doing. He knew that he was supposed to watch Damian until Courtney got there, but Damian had shared with him a depressing thought that Damian knew was a fact of life. He couldn't be carefree anymore. He had managed to maintain a certain level of innocence about life in Port Charles up until that point, but it was shattered along with his ribs the night before. How was Jason supposed to respond to that? He supposed that he should have known something, anything. If he couldn't do it with Damian, how was he supposed to do it with Morgan? With Michael?  
  
He was also unsure of what he was going to say just in general, to make conversation. He hated being in the hospital. He forced himself to be around because he knew that his nephew wants him there, but it didn't make it any easier. Instead he stood there in stoic silence like always, but it was the one time that he wanted to actually say or do something.  
  
Courtney knocked on the door, breaking the silence and causing Jason's body to stop being so tense. When she pushed it open, she saw that there was nothing that was going on. "Did... I interrupt something?"  
  
"No," Jason replied.  
  
"Uncle Jason was just being my enforcer," Damian added. Jason looked at him. Damian shrugged, "Well, you were..."  
  
Jason snickered, "You know, if anything your attitude is going to get you into more trouble than who your father is."  
  
"I'm in here because of my attitude, got it," Damian was being nonchalant. He was doing something that he was good at. "Uncle Jason... thanks for coming."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Keep my dad from running away with his tail tucked between his legs, would you?" Damian requested. "Make sure he actually talks to my family. They're not as scary as they seem once they stop flashing their rabid fangs."  
  
"Should I use that wording?"  
  
"Only if you want dad to have even less reason to go see them," Damian flashed a smile. He wasn't even on any sort of drugs that would make him act so irregular, that was the part that was hard to believe.  
  
"I'll call you when I get into Los Angeles," Jason told Courtney.  
  
"Okay, have a safe trip," Courtney kissed him, watching as he left the room, closing the door behind him. She focused her attentions on her nephew, "You're a sight for sore eyes."  
  
"Just don't give me too close a look, you'll see the stitches. I doubt they're pretty."  
  
"How many people have thanked you for doing what you did?" Courtney asked.  
  
"Counting you? That would be 3."  
  
"You do know why we're so grateful, don't you?"  
  
"I have an idea," Damian retorted. "I couldn't just let him get hit by that truck, Aunt Courtney. I didn't care what happened to me at that moment. The only thing on my mind was saving Michael."  
  
"And that's what you did, you're a hero."  
  
"But, unlike Superman, or depending on how you look at it, Uncle Jason, I happen to be very average, I've got the broken bones to prove it."  
  
"It doesn't matter what you're made out of, Damian. What you did showed that you're one of the best people that I've ever met. You acted selflessly, and while I wish that you didn't get hurt like you did, I won't say that I don't think you did it for nothing."  
  
"I still hurt Michael," Damian admitted. "I should have made sure that we were both able to get away without any harm. I could have stopped the whole thing from happening..."  
  
"Do you really think that?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Damian replied.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I shouldn't have gone with him to Kelly's, I shouldn't have even thought about it. If I had just stayed at home with him instead of taking him out everything would have been different."  
  
"You were in jail for a week! You wanted to do something that showed Michael you still cared about him."  
  
"I didn't need to take him out, though!" Damian's expression caused him to move his torso too much and he felt the pain in a single moment. He grabbed his waist and groaned.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"No more yelling on my part," Damian muttered, still breathing a little heavier to block out the pain as best he could.  
  
"Why don't you get some rest?" Courtney suggest. "I'll stay around and watch you until you get up."  
  
"How long have you been here?"  
  
"Since earlier this morning."  
  
"I don't want you all staying around here forever just for me," Damian said. "I'd rather you all went home and got some rest yourselves."  
  
"Sonny wants me to stay with you while he's in Los Angeles. I already told him that I would do it."  
  
"I can watch myself," Damian replied. "I mean, I don't think that you can't keep me safe, but I don't want to put you in danger either."  
  
"You can't watch yourself," Courtney pointed to all the machines. "If you weren't hooked up to all these machines and nursing broken bones, then you could. But, face it, Damian, you're not going to get rid of me today."  
  
"Can you do me a favor?"  
  
"Depends on the favor," Courtney said.  
  
"When I wake up, send someone to get Uncle Ric and Elizabeth..."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I owe them my life..." He could see that Courtney didn't like the expression. "No matter what you feel about them, Aunt Courtney, it's true. Please... they won't do anything, I just want to say thanks."  
  
"Fine, but you have to get some more rest first." Courtney plopped down on the chair and watched as her nephew drifted asleep. She didn't like the idea of asking Ric to come around, but she wouldn't say no. She couldn't say no. 


	24. Thanking the Bad Man

Hours later, General Hospital-  
  
The night sky was beginning to peak its way out into the world, battling off the waning sunlight and signaling the end of yet another day. Courtney had been by her nephew's side since Sonny had asked her to be with him. She hadn't left. She wasn't having the most exciting time of her life, but she knew that what she was doing was very important. There was no way to know if Damian had a contract out on his life, or, even if he didn't that someone, the person who had managed to hurt him as much as he was hurt, wouldn't know that he just needed to do a little more in order to get the job done. Someone needed to watch Damian at all times. Since Sonny was preoccupied with his trip to Los Angeles that couldn't wait and Jason was still skeptical about staying around hospitals, let alone going along with Sonny to the city of angels, that really only left Courtney. She could fight, she was stronger than people would think. They would look at her and see little more than an extremely beautiful young woman. They didn't expect that she had the skills to put them all on the ground in a few seconds. Her timid composure and nature were things that constantly favored with her, she wasn't going to give them up for anyone.  
  
She looked at Damian, who had his face turned the other way, his head safely nestled in his pillow. He wasn't exactly the strongest and most intimidating person on the planet, but maybe she should teach him how to defend himself. He might not like being taught how to fight by a woman, even if it was someone that he respected. She had never really taught anyone the things that she had learned, but she probably should have started. Damian was a pacifist by nature, Courtney was well aware of that fact, but Damian had to be aware of the fact that his life was always going to be in danger as long as he lived, as long as he still had that tie to their family, a tie that Damian wouldn't give up. It would have been safer for everyone involved if he had just given up and gone back to Los Angeles, wouldn't it? They wouldn't find a way to strike at Sonny from such a distance, would they? Courtney knew what the answer was, and it was unfortunately not the one that she wanted to hear. Now that Damian's lineage had been discovered, there was no way that he was going to get out of being Sonny Corinthos's son. They would find a way to get at Sonny through him, his enemies wouldn't let anything get in their way. They would run through Damian's family like nothing. The Zuniga's would be slaughtered, and it would partly be because of Sonny. Courtney knew that she couldn't let that happen. It might have been somewhat safer if he had gone back to Los Angeles, but it was certainly better that he had chosen to remain in Port Charles, the place where his father could almost surely protect him from just about anything. Provided, of course, that he knew there was a threat. Sonny was good at realizing things, but he was just as human in every respect as anyone else, even though Sonny never wanted to admit that he was a 'mere mortal,' the fact remained the same. He wasn't a mind reader, he couldn't see the future.  
  
She knew that Damian needed to know something... anything in the ways of self- defense. Courtney also thought about teaching Michael and Morgan when he was old enough. She could teach her nephews how to protect themselves, the same way she would have taught her child and her future children if things had gone differently. Courtney took another look at Damian, wondering if he would have been as protective of her children as he was with Michael. Would he have loved her baby? She smiled when she thought about it. She knew that he would have loved the baby no matter what, because Damian loved all his family, even when he shouldn't have. She thought of Ric sitting in the waiting area, if he was still there. There was no reason why he should have been there, but there was also no reason why he was going to leave. Regardless of how optimistic Damian chose to remain about Ric, Courtney knew that he hadn't seen Ric at his worst. She had, she had been affected by it just as much as anyone else. She lost her best friend for months, she lost her baby partly because of him. But she couldn't control anyone's life, and she wouldn't want to control Damian's. As much as she disagreed with his acceptance of Ric, she knew that he would never allow Ric to hurt anyone willingly, especially someone in the family.  
  
Maxie rolled the cart with the medication passed Damian's room. She poked her head in the door and saw Courtney in the chair. She saw Damian was sleeping.  
  
Courtney heard the door open and she was a little jumpy, but when she realized that it was Maxie her nerves calmed. She felt safest around Maxie, for some reason. Maybe because she knew how much they were in love. People that were in love that much couldn't hurt one another. She would never do anything to hurt Jason, ever. "Shouldn't you be working?" Courtney said softly, so as not to wake up Damian.  
  
"I thought I'd check up on him while I was in the area," Maxie replied. "Or, I may have just made a special trip for him."  
  
"You would do that, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Of course," Maxie grinned. "Wouldn't you make it a point to look in on Jason if he were in the hospital?"  
  
"In the extremely unlikely occurrence that he allowed himself to stay in a hospital, I would," Courtney grimaced, thinking about her husband in the hospital. It would be hell on him. He could have just been sick and he would have hated it.  
  
Maxie walked in and made her way to the side of the bed where Damian's head was resting. "I wonder if this is how he looked as a little boy..."  
  
"What?"  
  
Maxie blushed a little, "You know what they say, Courtney. Guys look the way they looked when they were little kids when they sleep."  
  
"I guess," Courtney said. She hadn't seen any baby pictures of Damian. Nobody had. Damian hadn't brought any with him and none of them felt that it would have been right to request such things of the family that had raised him for most of his life. Even if they did ask, there was no telling if the Zuniga's would actually comply and give photos over. Damian's childhood would always be something that was going to be up to Damian himself to talk about. He had only shared a few snippets with them. His past was more a mystery than anything, but it might have been painful. From what they had learned, he wasn't a very open little boy, he was secluded with almost no friends. Courtney couldn't imagine such a thing, being without anyone but the people who you knew loved you. It must have been torturous.  
  
"You haven't looked at Jason and thought about it?" Maxie asked.  
  
"Not really, no," Courtney did ponder the situation, though. She hadn't seen much of Jason's baby pictures. She focused more on AJ when she lived in the mansion since that was who she was married to at the time, although she did think, recalling into the reachers of her mind that AJ did bear a slight resemblance to his childhood self when he was sleeping. Maybe the same could be said for Jason. Maybe it would always be a mystery.  
  
"I wish I knew," Maxie admitted.  
  
"Maybe one day you will," Courtney said, her voice filled with hope. "He trusts you, Maxie. He trusts you more than he trusts just about anyone else that he's ever met. Damian's not the type of person who opens up very often, Maxie."  
  
"I know that..."  
  
"Then you should feel incredibly honored to know that he does trust you as much as he does," Courtney continued. "If he doesn't open up to just anyway it shows how much he appreciates you being in his life. I know how that feels, Jason's a lot like Damian in that respect." Courtney thought back to her relationship with Jason, one of the best things in her life, "He'll tell you things that he never thought he'd tell anyone, because you're the person that he feels the most comfortable with."  
  
"How long do I have to wait for that?" Maxie wondered.  
  
"Hasn't it already happened?" Courtney wondered.  
  
"I... don't know," Maxie recalled various points in their short but very beautiful relationship. "I guess so..."  
  
"See, you'll have more moments like that," Courtney smiled. "Could you do me a favor?"  
  
"What is it?" Maxie asked.  
  
"When you go back to the nurses station, tell Ric and Elizabeth, if they're still around, that he wants to see them," Courtney's face was blank, she was trying not to show the fact that she didn't agree with the idea to see Ric.  
  
"It won't be for a few more minutes, I've still got to go on my rounds," Maxie admitted.  
  
"Don't worry about it, take your time," Courtney didn't mind forcing Ric to wait. In fact, she rather liked the idea of Ric not getting to see Damian right away, as much as she didn't like admitting that dark part of herself.  
  
"Okay, I'll tell them if I see them."  
  
"Thanks," Courtney replied, watching Maxie leave. "You can take all the time you want."  
  
Twenty Minutes Later-  
  
There was a soft knock on the door, Ric opened it a second later. "Maxie said that he wanted to see us..."  
  
Courtney huffed a bit, but she knew she was doing the right thing, "Yeah," She got up and gave Damian a soft tap on the shoulder that woke him up. "Ric and Elizabeth are here to see you."  
  
Damian, his eyes still showing the drain that comes with sleep, managed a slight grin, "Thanks."  
  
Courtney walked out, walking past Ric and whispering, "I'll be right outside. Don't try anything."  
  
"I wouldn't think about it," Ric lowly commented.  
  
Courtney closed the door behind her and wished that there was a window that she could use to look in. She didn't mind invading privacy when it came to Ric Lansing. In fact, she rather preferred it.  
  
Elizabeth was the first to say anything, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I've had better days," Damian pushed himself up. "But, given the alternative, I'm glad that I'm actually feeling something."  
  
"You had us scared for a few hours, really scared," Ric said.  
  
"Uncle Ric... you saved me, didn't you?"  
  
"Not really, no," Ric said, completely honest. He could have used the situation to make himself out to be the hero, to gain Damian as a supporter in his camp. But he already had Damian's support, and he didn't want to lie, not to the boy. "I was just there with you until the ambulance came."  
  
"Still... if it weren't for you and Elizabeth, I don't think I would have made it," Damian wasn't afraid to face his mortality, but the thought of his being dead and knowing that he wasn't because of two people was extremely humbling. "Thank you, both of you."  
  
Elizabeth hugged Damian, being as tender as possible, "We're both just incredibly happy to see that you're okay."  
  
"Uncle Ric... no matter what happens between you and dad, I don't want it to ever get in the way of us having the relationship that we do, and having an even better one," Damian looked at Ric. "I know how stubborn my father can be, and I know that he's actually got some justification for having such distaste for you, but that doesn't hide the fact that you can be a decent person in life. I know you can, and so does Elizabeth."  
  
"That's all I need," Ric commented. "Two people knowing that I'm a good guy is more than enough, especially if they're two people that I care about very much."  
  
"How long have you been waiting?" Damian asked. "I hope it wasn't long, I know that I end up taking a lot more naps than I thought I would, but that's not something that I can help."  
  
"I'm sure that once you get well enough everything will return to normal," Ric said. "For now, though, we need you to get your rest and get better."  
  
"You really should be sleeping right now anyway," Elizabeth said. "My grandma said that you needed your rest more than anything. I don't want to be the one that keeps you from that."  
  
"Neither do I," Ric agreed. "We'll see you again..." Ric opened the door and looked at Courtney. Nothing was said, but everything was felt. "We've got a strong nephew, Courtney."  
  
"We've also got a nephew with a good sense of morality, and I'm sure he doesn't get that from you," Courtney's comment was extremely snide, but that was her intention.  
  
Ric started to laugh.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," Ric finally said. "I'm just remembering something that Damian told me, and I'm realizing just how true it is." Ric knew that he had the appreciation of the two people who actually mattered to him. That was more than enough for him. 


	25. Tip

Los Angeles, California-  
  
Even thought it was no doubt approaching dusk in Port Charles, Los Angeles had the ever stereotypical Californian sun shining, trying to battle against the thick layers of smog that would forever pollute the city.  
  
"I really do hate it here," Sonny admitted.  
  
Jason cocked an eyebrow, "That's it?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'that's it?'" Sonny questioned.  
  
"You didn't say a word the entire time that we were on the plane, Sonny. And now we're finally in Los Angeles and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is how much you hate it here?"  
  
"It's the truth, Jason," Sonny said. "I really do not like coming to Los Angeles."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because... everything that went wrong in my life... there are places that those things happened, and this is one of them. This is where I was forced on his mother, Jason. This is where I tainted a young woman who had nothing to do with what was going on in my life..."  
  
"Sonny, you can't be swallowed in your pity right now," Jason said. "You need to be around that family for the sake of your son."  
  
"I don't want to go..."  
  
"But you're going anyway, remember? That's why you brought me."  
  
"If you weren't with me, I would have turned around and gone back to Port Charles by now."  
  
"You're running, Sonny. You don't run from anything, that's not who you are."  
  
"Maybe I'm just becoming more like my father," Sonny said.  
  
"And you're trying to say that becoming like Mike is a good thing?" Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing. There were people that Sonny admired, much like there were people that Jason admired, one of those people being Sonny himself. But on Sonny's list, which was very small, there was no chance of Mike Corbin being anywhere near that list. Sonny viewed becoming his father was one of the worst things that he could ever do in his life. Mike had ruined Sonny's life in a way that caused him to be the person that he was now. While there were certainly a few benefits that came with Sonny being the person that he was, Sonny also always wondered what it would have been like if he hadn't have been forced into the life that he was in. Jason didn't want to think about what his life would be like without Sonny. If Mike hadn't have done what he did, he would have never met Courtney's mother, which means Courtney would have never been in his life. He was sorry for the pain that Sonny's past had caused him, but Sonny didn't always realize how much good his choices had done for people.  
  
"I don't know what I'm saying!" Sonny shouted. "I'm so confused right now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why?" Sonny was shocked at the question. He thought Jason more observant than that, "Jason, I'm coming to the place where my child's family lives. The place where he lived for 20 years of his life without even knowing that I existed. I'm sorry if you don't agree with my level of discomfort, but... whenever I come here, all I see is failure. This is where I failed to stand up for myself, and this is the place that came to when I failed to keep my son safe from Faith."  
  
"Mr. Morgan?" One of Sonny's men came in, looking at Jason.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I just thought that you'd like to know about the checkup that we did on the person in question."  
  
"What do you have for me?" Jason wanted the information.  
  
"He appears to have recovered from the wound that was sustained and sends his thanks."  
  
"Good," Jason said softly. "Thanks."  
  
"If you need anything else, don't be afraid to contact me," The man walked out, leaving Sonny and Jason alone again.  
  
"What was that all about?" Sonny wondered. "Who did you have looked into already?"  
  
"Zander," Jason said.  
  
"Zander?" Sonny hadn't even thought about Zander Smith since the incident they had together when they came to Los Angeles, and that was a month ago. "What does Zander have to do with anything?"  
  
"I just thought that it would cheer Damian and Maxie up if they heard that he was doing okay with his new life on the West Coast, and that he survived," Jason knew how afraid they both were for Zander's life when Zander took that bullet for Maxie. Maybe they both still worried, the moment forever etched in their minds, forever tainting their dreams.  
  
Sonny couldn't help but laugh, he wasn't trying to be rude, but he thought it was highly amusing. "I never thought that you'd care about him that much..."  
  
"Who? Zander? I don't care about Zander, Sonny. I don't have anything against the guy, but I didn't check up on him because I was worried about Zander..."  
  
"No, not Zander. My son."  
  
"Oh," Jason stopped going on his tirade. "I never thought that I would care about him as much as I do, either."  
  
"I have to admit that when he first came into my life, when I first learned that he was my boy, I couldn't think of a time when I would accept him as much as I have," Sonny sat down on the bed of the hotel room. He knew it was safe, he had plenty of places all over the world that were tailor made to keep him and his family safe. "And I thought that he'd never accept me once he found out about what I do... but he surprised me. He's always surprising me."  
  
"People like him... they're not easy to come by," Jason couldn't think of a person that was quite like Damian. "The Quatermaine's don't have anything that's so... driven... so pure. Not even Emily. He's taken everything that was thrown at him, things that would have broken anyone else, and he's turned them into personal strength."  
  
"He doesn't get that from me," Sonny remarked somberly.  
  
"He gets plenty from you, Sonny. He has that passion that I see in you. And, look at the way he acts around Maxie. He's just as protective with her as you are with Carly."  
  
"Maxie's good for him..."  
  
"I think she is, too."  
  
"But I still have to worry about her father," Sonny admitted. "Mac might try and use her against me sometime. I don't think that she can say no to her father, even for my son."  
  
"Sonny, Mac respects their bond as much as he can. I don't think he would want to compromise the situation that much just to get at you," Jason was being optimistic, but he knew that Mac had a certain level of standards that the other cops on the force lacked. He wouldn't be constantly using the system against everyone. It wasn't in him. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Taking stock of everything that's happened in his life since you've met him?"  
  
"I almost lost him, Jason!"  
  
"But you didn't," Jason pointed out. "Almost doesn't count, Sonny. You should know that above anyone else."  
  
"Almost doesn't count, but almost is still very scary," Sonny chimed. "I almost lost it in that room with him. Knowing that he would have been saying something, trying to make me laugh... trying to make me feel better, but he couldn't do anything because he was barely even alive."  
  
"It's all behind you now, it's all behind him."  
  
"But I'll never forget."  
  
"No one is expecting you to forget anything that happened last night."  
  
Sonny sighed, "Last night... I can't believe that it's happened and it's only been twenty four hours, not even twenty four hours. That whole day seems like it lasted an eternity."  
  
"Time always goes slow when you're worried about someone that you love," Jason remarked, trying to sound as supportive as he possibly could.  
  
"Do you think that I should call him?" Sonny wondered.  
  
"He's probably asleep right now," Jason said. "Besides, with the time change it's even later in New York, he's almost surely getting rest."  
  
Sonny smiled, "You know what's funny?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's adapted so well," Sonny got up and looked out the window. "Look at everything out there, Jason. There's an entire world. Port Charles is nothing compared to Los Angeles, and he's just as comfortable there as he was here, maybe even more comfortable since he's got people that he cares about and he actually made some friends."  
  
"Any child of yours would find a way to survive anything, Sonny," Jason didn't like what he was looking at. He didn't like Sonny dipping so dangerously close to the edge. He could have a breakdown. While keeping those a secret from Michael was easy, keeping them from Damian would be another story entirely. He would ask questions, he would find the answers to those questions one way or another. Jason knew that Sonny wouldn't want the secret of his mental stability out, even to someone he trusted. Courtney didn't even know the whole story. "Just like you have," He tried to make Sonny somewhat calmer. But he didn't know what was going to happen. Sonny was a lot of things, and loose cannon was one of them. If the Zuniga's didn't accept what had happened to Damian, and there was no reason why they should have, what would Sonny do? Was there anyway for any of them to survive Sonny if he tipped over? 


	26. Changing of the Guard

Note: I think I did some odd cutting and pasting, so you all might have gotten four chapters today, if you did, be thankful.  
  
Journeylove- It is okay. While I appreciate reviews of every single chapter, I know that they're not always possible. Nonetheless, I appreciate the kind words that you give me, it is always an honor when someone says that they like my story more than the actual show, written by actual writers and played by actual actors. You're right, though, they messed up a whole lot of the good relationships. At least we have GQ again, right?  
  
Story-  
  
General Hospital-  
  
Michael was sleeping on one of the couches. He had tried to stay up as long as he could, but it was getting rather late and Michael's energy levels were beginning to wane. Carly had put her jacket over her son as a blanket, thinking that it was cute that he had decided to fall asleep at that moment. Mike had gone home for the evening, having seen Damian for a little while. Dillon was sticking around as well, his ride back to the penthouse still being at the hospital. He'd seen Damian as well, with Georgie by his side during one of her breaks. They had all seen him, they had all seen that he was going to be okay. It made them feel better.  
  
"Dillon, could you watch him?" Carly asked. "I'm going to check up on Courtney and see if she needs a little break to get something to eat."  
  
"No problem," Dillon glanced down at the sleeping redhead. It was easy to see why Damian had gravitated towards Michael so quickly, the boy was filled with innocence that people always wanted to get back. When would it get lost?  
  
"Thanks," Carly got up and walked towards Damian's room. She wasn't in favor of Dillon staying around them, living with Jason and Courtney, but she didn't mind leaving Michael with him for some reason. Maybe she was just overreacting as she often did. She knew that Dillon was a good person, even if he had ended up working for Lorenzo on a few occasions.  
  
Nurses Station-  
  
"How you holding up?" Georgie asked, coming from the elevator, pushing a cart of medication.  
  
"A lot better," Maxie said. "He looks better than he did last night, that much is for certain. It was so scary last night, Georgie. He was so pale and his blood was everywhere."  
  
"Try not to think about what happened then," Georgie urged Maxie to let it go, even though the odds of Maxie actually listening to her were slim to none. "His body isn't rejecting the blood that the hospital has given him and that's made him a lot stronger than he was last night. Besides, Bobbie and Monica say that he's going to make it if he keeps on getting the rest that he needs."  
  
"As long as nothing happens, he'll be fine, right?" Maxie was looking for reassurance.  
  
"Right," Georgie was quick to agree.  
  
"But... what if something does happen?" Maxie wondered idly. "Sonny's still got so many enemies that wouldn't stop at anything to get him out of the hospital and hurt him while he's weak. Lorenzo Alcazar is still around... and they didn't kill Faith."  
  
"Faith isn't going to be coming back anytime soon," Georgie said. "Sonny and Jason managed to get her as far away from Port Charles as she's ever been. You don't have to worry about Faith hurting you anymore."  
  
"Fine, maybe not Faith, but there are still..."  
  
"Maxie, stop," Georgie ordered. "Think about the positive things that have been going on. Your boyfriend is not going to die on you right now, I can promise that."  
  
"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Maxie muttered.  
  
"I'm not making one that I can't keep. I believe in my heart that he is going to survive this without any problems. Besides, he's a Corinthos, they're really hard to kill."  
  
"But they're not impossible..."  
  
"Maxie..."  
  
"Look, I don't know what's going on with my head right now, Georgie. You know how I get when I think I'm in love, I worry about everything and anything. The littlest things set me off and I can never get my head straight. But I'm not thinking that I'm in love, I know that I am in love with Damian... and it only makes everything that's happened worse."  
  
"When's your next break?" Georgie asked.  
  
"Not until my shift is over in a little bit," Maxie thought it was an odd question. "Why?"  
  
"Because we're going to go over there and see him together. I'm going to show you that everything is going to be okay and you're going to believe me."  
  
Maxie nodded, "If that's what you think I should do."  
  
"It's what I know you should do," Georgie said. "Just finish doing what you have to do and then we'll go together, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Maxie continued filing the papers that she had to finish before the night was through.  
  
Damian's Room-  
  
There was a soft knock at the door before it opened. Carly poked her head inside and saw Courtney in the chair that was placed right next to Damian's bed. Courtney looked drained, and there was no reason why she shouldn't have been. "You want a break?"  
  
"What?" Courtney snapped out of her haze. "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear you knock."  
  
"You're slowly slipping into dementia," Carly remarked. "You need a boost of caffeine."  
  
Courtney nodded, "That sounds so good right now."  
  
"Go get some," Carly suggested. "I'll watch the kid while you're away."  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"Courtney," Carly put her hands on Courtney's shoulders, "are you trying to say that you don't trust me?"  
  
"Carly... you know that I would trust you with my life."  
  
"But..."  
  
"But my life isn't the one that is at stake right now," Courtney finished her statement. "I know that you're not as against Damian being a member of our family as you were, but... I don't know, I'm still afraid that you'd try to do something."  
  
"Why would you even think that?"  
  
"Carly, you were so opposed to him being around... old habits die hard, especially with you."  
  
"I can change," Carly said. "Remember the stories that you heard about me hating Sonny as much as I did? Think about everything that's been said about our relationship, because no matter how bad and untrue it sounds, it is true. We were always at each other's throats, Courtney. Now look at us, we're in love and we're stronger together than we ever were apart. Doesn't that show that, with time, I can become a better person if I'm given the chance?"  
  
Courtney gave the thought a moment before she relented, "You're right. I shouldn't be so juidgmental."  
  
"I'm sorry that I made you worry about my intentions, but I can promise you that I don't want to hurt him," Carly hugged Courtney, filling her best friend with a level of confidence that she didn't have at that moment. "Just go and get something to help you through the night. Grab some magazines, too. You might also want to give Michael a good night kiss, I need to get him home so he can get some comfortable rest and go to school in the morning."  
  
"Dillon needs to go tomorrow, too," Courtney remarked.  
  
"Well then you'd better tell Dillon that," Carly moved out of the way so that Courtney could get up and walk out. "We'll be fine..."  
  
"Be back in a few minutes," Courtney said as she closed the door.  
  
Carly looked over at Damian, his head resting on the pillow. Her hand went for the pillow, grabbing the end of it. She gave it a slight tug, pulling it out of place, or into place. "There," She said to the sleeping young man, "I might not know about cooking, but I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at fluffing pillows." Carly positioned herself into the chair, "You know, Courtney's right. We were so mean to each other when you first came here... and even though you don't ever want to truly accept my apology, I have to give it. I shouldn't have been so against your being around us. I shouldn't have tried to deny Sonny the one thing that he always wanted, the chance to be a good father to all his children. I guess I was so blind by the fact that I only wanted my children to be the ones that made Sonny happy... I thought that anyone who came outside of our own family would put the sanctity of Sonny's love towards Michael and Morgan in danger. I shouldn't have been so stupid. Sonny loves all his children, regardless of who the mothers are. I wish we would have gotten off on a better foot than we did..." 


	27. Hatred Catching Up

Outside-  
  
"Did you just see Courtney turn around the corner?" Maxie asked.  
  
"I think so, why?"  
  
"Because Sonny doesn't want Damian to be alone," Maxie informed her sister. "He's afraid that if nobody is watching Damian someone is going to take him away from the hospital."  
  
"Maxie, nobody would be able to do that..."  
  
"People do it all the time," Maxie said. "How many times has Luke Spencer managed to smuggle someone out of the hospital?"  
  
Georgie bit her lip. Luke was really good at it, and people who weren't as good as Luke when it came to sneaking people out were still good enough to get it done. "He's probably got someone in there with him..."  
  
"Who? Jason's with Sonny, Bobbie went home to get some rest and Mike's gone, too."  
  
"Maybe Dillon's in there..."  
  
"What if it's Carly?"  
  
"Is there a problem with Carly being in there alone with him?" Georgie inquired.  
  
"Yes!" Maxie got her point across rather well. "Georgie, Carly hates him!"  
  
"Maxie... nobody could hate him..."  
  
"She does," Maxie said. "She's so heartless towards him. She doesn't think that he deserves to be a member of the family that he was born into because he wasn't always around. I hope it isn't her..."  
  
"She has a right to be with him, she is his step-mother..."  
  
"She should start acting like a step-parent, then! Look at Mac, he's our step-dad, but he loves us like we were his own children. Carly doesn't do that for Damian. She would never accept him as a member of her family." Maxie went for the door, poking it open and seeing that Carly was there. She looked at Georgie, "I'm not going to let her be in there..."  
  
"Maxie, don't do anything stupid..."  
  
"I'm going to protect Damian from that woman, what's stupid about that?" Maxie pushed the door open. "You shouldn't be in here."  
  
Carly looked over, "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me," Maxie began, "you're not here to help him, you're just here to bask in the fact that he's hurt."  
  
"Okay, Maxie, I understand that you're a little stressed out due to everything that has happened, but don't you dare even begin to think that you understand how I feel about your boyfriend, because you don't understand anything." Carly didn't like the implications that Maxie was making. She wasn't happy at all that Damian was hurt.  
  
"Save it for someone who cares, Carly," Maxie stood up to the woman that had managed to tame Sonny Corinthos. With a resume like that, she could easily hurt Maxie. "I want you out of this room."  
  
"You think you can just ask me to leave? I'm family..."  
  
"You don't act like it," Maxie countered. "I'm more his family than you are, Georgie is, too."  
  
"Maxie... that's enough," Georgie came in. "I'm sorry, Carly..."  
  
Carly didn't want a fight. She wanted to help Sonny find out who had ordered the driver to go after Michael. "You know what, fine. You stay with him until Courtney gets back, Maxie. But you had better actually think about what you just did. Regardless of how little you may think about me and my relationship with Damian, you couldn't even begin to understand everything that we've gone through."  
  
"I understand plenty," Maxie replied.  
  
"No, you don't understand anything," Carly walked out.  
  
Maxie felt accomplished as she saw the door close behind Carly. It was evident by the grin on her face. "Good riddance," She quipped.  
  
Georgie, on the other hand, was not in the least bit amused or pleased with the way her sister acted. "Maxie, what's wrong with you?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Maxie didn't think that she had done anything wrong. She was defending the interests of the man that she loved. She was being virtuous.  
  
"You had no right to act like that towards her!" Georgie almost yelled, but she managed to keep her voice down as she dragged her sister out of the room and closed the door, hoping that the door would block out any of the unpleasant sounds. "She was just trying to be there for him!"  
  
"No she wasn't!" Maxie shouted. "Carly's never been there for him when he wanted her around or needed her! She's way too selfish to even think about something like that!"  
  
"That's not your call to make!" Georgie pointed out. "Besides, do you realize what you've done?"  
  
"No."  
  
"What do you think Sonny is going to think of you when he finds out that you just pushed his wife out of his son's bedroom?"  
  
"I don't care what Sonny thinks!" Maxie said, and in that moment it was true. She stood by her convictions, if anyone had a problem with it then she was ready to stick up for herself. It didn't matter to her if it was Sonny Corinthos or not.  
  
"What if Damian is upset with you?" Georgie asked, in a much lighter tone.  
  
"Why would he be upset with me?" Maxie wondered. "I was protecting him."  
  
"Were you?" Georgie turned the question back on Maxie. "What if he and Carly were trying to work things out? What if they were already at a point in their relationship where they weren't hostile towards one another? Didn't he tell you that things were getting a little better between them?"  
  
"Only a little better," Maxie mumbled.  
  
"And you might have just set everything back with your outburst," Georgie said.  
  
"I was only trying to help," Maxie began to realize that maybe she didn't make the right choice in that instance.  
  
"I know you were only trying to help, Maxie, but you might not have helped. If anything, you might have ended up being his worst enemy."  
  
"I didn't want that," Maxie thought about apologizing to Carly, but she still didn't feel that she had truly done anything wrong. She could tell that Carly didn't like him on some level, she was only trying to hide it from everyone and maybe they were falling for it, but Maxie refused to be ignorant.  
  
"I thought Carly was with him..." Courtney came up, but she had seen Carly out of the corner of her eye as she was walking back to the room. "What happened?"  
  
"Maxie got a little overzealous..."  
  
"Oh, really?" Courtney cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"I told Carly that she needed to leave," Maxie said softly. "I didn't think that Damian was safe with her around him."  
  
While Courtney wasn't exactly thrilled with Maxie's decision to shoo Carly away, she couldn't hide the fact that she actually mirrored Maxie's feelings about Carly and Damian's relationship. It wasn't as hostile as it once was, but they weren't about to hold hands and sing Disney tunes, either. "You shouldn't have made that call, Maxie," Courtney said. "Carly has every right to be with him, she's family."  
  
"She's not his family..."  
  
"Maxie, you know how he views family, marriage is enough," Courtney opened the door. "Did you wake him up?"  
  
"No, we went out in the hall when we started to shout..."  
  
"You know, I don't think that you did anything wrong, but you could have put him in a state of mind that would only end up hurting him some more in the end," Courtney pushed the door open further. "Maybe you two should just go home and get some rest."  
  
"Can't I say goodbye?"  
  
"I think he knows that you were here, Maxie," Courtney replied, closing the door.  
  
"Courtney's right, you know," Georgie said. "We shouldn't have been yelling at each other, and you shouldn't have been so mean to Carly."  
  
"I won't think that I was the bad person in that, Georgie... but maybe I was a little too forceful."  
  
"Come on, let's go put our stuff away and we'll walk home," Georgie grabbed Maxie's shoulder and walked her down the hall.  
  
Waiting Area-  
  
"You ready?" Carly asked Dillon, trying to show her face as blank as possible, trying not to show that she was hurt by what Maxie had said, but the truth was that she was hurt. Did she come off as the person that she once was towards Damian? She didn't want to appear to be that mean anymore, because she didn't think like that about him anymore. She actually cared about Damian, and she cared about him before he saved Michael's life.  
  
Dillon thought that something was wrong with Carly, but he wasn't going to say anything because he knew that she wouldn't tell him, "Michael's still asleep."  
  
"Courtney talked to you though, right?" Carly asked.  
  
"Yeah, she said that I was going to go back to the penthouse with you."  
  
"Which is what you're doing right now," Carly said. She shook Michael softly so he woke up. "Hey, Mr. Man, we have to go back home now."  
  
"Is Damian coming with us?" Michael asked, still groggy.  
  
"Honey, you know that he's going to be in the hospital for a little while longer, but he'll be coming home eventually."  
  
"Can't I say goodbye?" Michael asked.  
  
Normally, Carly would have caved under the pressure of such a simple request, but she didn't want to see Maxie again for awhile, not until they both had time to let themselves cool down. "Honey, he's sleeping. I said goodbye for you." It was a white lie, one that wouldn't hurt anyone. "If you go in there and wake him up he might have trouble going back to bed which will only keep him in the hospital longer. You don't want that, do you?"  
  
"No, mommy, I don't. I want him to come home as soon as possible."  
  
"We all do, sweetie," Carly hugged Michael and picked him up. "Now, come on, we'll put you in bed and we'll come back and see him tomorrow when you're back from school."  
  
Dillon was awed by the compassion that Carly showed Michael. It was nothing like the stories that the Quatermaine's had told him about her time being in their family turned out. She wasn't a cold viper... not all the time at least. He pushed the button to open the elevator doors and followed Carly into the elevator, pushing it again when they were all in.  
  
Outside the Penthouse-  
  
Carly had been silent the entire ride home. Michael had fallen back asleep in the back seat of the car, slouching on Dillon. Dillon didn't mind, he thought it was kind of cute, something that he might have done with Ned if they were closer. Maybe that was what it was like to have a little brother. He always wondered about what it would be like. When they arrived at their destination, Carly turned around. "Could I ask you a really big favor?"  
  
"Sure," Dillon said. He didn't want to deny Carly any favors since if he did she might go and tell Courtney and Jason and he would find himself on the streets again. Damian seemed to be enthusiastic about their being neighbors when he finally came home. Dillon was looking forward to it as well.  
  
"Could you take him back to the penthouse?"  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Because there's something that I have to do and it's really important. I just wanted to get the two of you back here so you could get some decent rest in your beds."  
  
"Carly..."  
  
"Dillon, don't worry about it. They'll see you carrying Michael and they'll know not to shoot you."  
  
"Oh, that's comforting."  
  
"I was joking anyway," She replied. "Courtney told them that you were living with her and they know that you're allowed to be around now. The door is almost never locked and even if it is one of the guards always has the keys. Just take him to his room."  
  
"I don't even know where his room is!" Dillon said. "I've never been in your house before." He didn't think he would ever actually go into the Corinthos home, he just thought he's stay on the other side.  
  
"Ask someone, they know everything. Dillon, please."  
  
"Okay..." Dillon muttered. He unbuckled his seatbelt and then Michael's, picking the boy up in his arms before dragging himself out of the car and carrying Michael. Michael stirred and looked around, not exactly being fond of being in someone else's arms, but Carly was already on her way out.  
  
"Where's my mommy?" Michael asked.  
  
"She told me to take you up to your room," Dillon replied.  
  
"Why couldn't she come with us?"  
  
"I don't know, Michael," Dillon said because he honestly didn't have a clue what was going on.  
  
Minutes Later, Lorenzo Alcazar's Home-  
  
Carly rushed up to the door and started to knock. Lorenzo opened the door in a hurry. Carly looked him in the eyes and asked a question, "What did you do?"  
  
Lorenzo looked at her and gave his emotionless answer, "Exactly what you told me to." 


	28. Mistakes in the Past

Carly didn't understand what Lorenzo was implying. "What are you talking about, Lorenzo? I never..."  
  
"You never what, Carly?" Lorenzo cut in. "You never asked me to help you get rid of Sonny's bastard son?" He shook his head, "Remember back, would you?"  
  
Some Time Before, Park-  
  
Lorenzo was shocked that Carly had given him a call. She had made it pretty obvious that she no longer wanted to be involved with him. She never wanted to be involved with him anyway. It wasn't her fault that things happened the way that they did. She was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance, but since she was no longer going through the visions and the dreams, she could control herself again. She knew that she wanted Sonny, and Lorenzo let Carly be with the man that she wanted to be with, forever hoping that she would eventually realize just how much love Lorenzo had for her. That was the only reason why he had agreed to meet with her, because he thought that she might want to be back with him.  
  
Carly walked up the bridge, holding her purse. She was shaking.  
  
Lorenzo had never seen Carly act so enraged, or hurt. "Carly," He walked over and examined her. "You're shaking."  
  
"I know I am..."  
  
"Are you all right?" Lorenzo asked. "Do I need to get you to a doctor? Did Sonny do anything to you?"  
  
"Sonny didn't do anything to me. Sonny would never hurt me... not intentionally." Some tears streamed down Carly's face. It was obvious that whatever was bugging her was intense.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lorenzo was acting as Carly's protector, knowing that she needed one, that she wanted one.  
  
"Sonny... has a son."  
  
"Sonny has two children, Carly. Both of them come from you."  
  
"No, not like that!" She yelled. "Sonny has a son that came from some fling that he had when he was working for Scully! His name is Damian..."  
  
"I've met him," Lorenzo said, remembering the encounters that he had with the young man. No wonder he looked somewhat familiar. Lorenzo was surprised that he didn't make the connection sooner. After all, Damian looked like a man that he hated, a man that had something that he wanted.  
  
"I don't want him near my family!" Carly yelled. "He's going to ruin everything!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He's going to tear at us, he's going to break us apart! I know he's going to, Lorenzo! I know he's just going to take his father because he'll guilt trip Sonny into abandoning him so he'll make Sonny abandon all of us in return!"  
  
"Carly... I don't think that he would do that," Lorenzo didn't believe that the young man could be so vindictive.  
  
"I do!" Carly thrust herself into Lorenzo's shoulder before pulling away, realizing what she had just done and how Sonny would think about it if he ever found out. "I don't know why I came to you."  
  
"Because you wanted someone who could help you, Carly. And I will always help you..."  
  
"I shouldn't trust you."  
  
"But you do," Lorenzo's voice was soft, he was trying to sound like someone that Carly could trust.  
  
"Please, Lorenzo... make him go away."  
  
"You're asking me to kill the child of your husband?" Lorenzo never thought that Carly would want to hurt Sonny in such a way. "You do realize that such an action would destroy him."  
  
"I don't want Sonny to be hurt! He'll understand if his son walks away from him... I just want Damian gone from the picture. Do whatever it takes, please."  
  
"I will do what it takes to help you, Carly," Lorenzo said. "But I may need you to help me as well."  
  
"I won't sleep with you. I won't cheat on my husband in any way."  
  
"I would never ask you to compromise your morals, regardless of how the other people in your family view me I am not like that." Lorenzo turned around, "But if I need something from you, I will contact you."  
  
"I'll wait for the call," Carly walked away.  
  
Present-  
  
"Do you remember that night, Carly?" Lorenzo asked. "You practically threw yourself on me, looking for a way to get rid of that boy, to get him out of your life. You hated him so much that you were willing to betray your husband and run to his enemy just to get him out of your life."  
  
"No..."  
  
"It's the truth, Carly, and we both know it." Lorenzo moved towards the desk. "Remember when I asked you to make that note to meet Sonny at the docks? I lied and told him that I had a handwrite copier do it and he believed it. He never thought that you would have done something like that. I protected you and your love of your husband. I got the tape of Sonny confessing to the deeds that he does on a daily basis in this town. It was supposed to work and push Damian out of your life, just like you wanted."  
  
"But it didn't work," Carly said, breathless. How much of this was her fault?  
  
"No, it didn't," Lorenzo continued. "And then Faith almost got the job done for me. I admit that I never intended for her to be involved, but I wasn't going to try and stop her. After that, I forced Baldwin into putting Damian in jail..."  
  
"That was you?" Carly glared at him. "You threw an innocent young man into jail for your own purposes?"  
  
"For your purposes," Lorenzo pointed out. "You are the one who came to me asking for a way to get him out of your life, Carly. Everything that I did was for you."  
  
"What happened then?"  
  
"Once Zuniga managed to dodge the death sentence that I wanted him to get, I had to drop everything and decide that killing him would be the best way."  
  
"I never wanted you to kill him!" Carly's voice was a shrill scream that made Lorenzo wince as the sound hit his ears. "I would never ask you to take another life."  
  
"You wanted him out of your life by any means necessary. I thought that I would have used him against his father, but in the end my love for you surpassed my hatred for your husband and I instead continued doing what you asked me. If he was beating all the odds, and finding a way to stay in your life despite everything that I had thrown at him, death was the only answer. I had one of my best men hunt him down and when the time was right he was to kill Damian in whatever way was convenient."  
  
"He failed..."  
  
"I'm aware of that," Lorenzo said. "Because of his failure, he is now dead. Not only because of his failure, but because he threatened Michael's life."  
  
"He... was after Michael?"  
  
"The services of the cell phones in the area have been shoddy at best in these past few days, Carly, you know that. I managed to contact my man, but there was so much static that he thought I meant that he was to go after Michael. I told him step-son, but due to the inadequacies caused by the..."  
  
Carly slapped Lorenzo so hard that it hurt her own hand. "You almost killed my son!"  
  
"That was not my intention," Lorenzo rubbed his jaw. He didn't think that she would lash out at him like that.  
  
"I don't care what your intention was, Lorenzo!" Carly again yelled. "You almost killed Michael... and you nearly killed Damian."  
  
"You asked me to get rid of him..."  
  
"Because I was stupid!" Carly said. "I was acting like I always act when someone comes into our lives, I was being selfish and I was only thinking about myself! You know what, I actually care about Damian now, and I cared about him even before he risked his life to save my son's life, to save his little brother! I liked him being around after I realized that he was a good thing for my children!"  
  
"You never told me that there was a change of the plans..."  
  
"I didn't think I needed to tell you! You're some obsessive stalker, always following me, always trying to think about what I'm doing at any given time. I could have sneezed and someone would have told you that I did. I thought you would have know."  
  
"I would never invade your privacy like that..."  
  
"Because of you, there is an innocent young man in the hospital with a battered body... because of you my child almost died and because of you my husband is going through emotionally hell since he almost lost his child... again!"  
  
"I did everything for you!"  
  
"I should have never come to you for help!" Carly yelled. "I hate you, Lorenzo!"  
  
Lorenzo backed off, "You don't mean that. You're angry..."  
  
"I've been angry with you a lot of times in my life, Lorenzo. But I have never actually hated you until right now. You could have killed Michael, and I hate anyone who puts my children in any danger."  
  
"Sonny does that on a daily basis..."  
  
"Sonny loves his children, all three of them!" Carly was irate. "Sonny is a better man than you could ever be."  
  
"Would it help if I apologized for my error?"  
  
"No, it wouldn't help if you apologized for your error," Carly said snidely. "You can't apologize for almost killing Michael and you can't apologize for almost killing Damian, either!"  
  
"I will make it up to you..."  
  
"No, you're leaving Port Charles, now!"  
  
"I will not leave you!"  
  
"Get away from me, Lorenzo!" Carly demanded. "I never want to see you again! I would tell Sonny and Jason just how much you were involved with the entire situation that happened."  
  
"Why don't you, if you hate me so much?" Lorenzo was looking for a spark of love, something that he could cling onto. Carly couldn't hate him. The woman that he loved so much couldn't loathe him in such a way.  
  
"Because you saved Morgan's life when those doctors wanted to take him out of my stomach! The only reason that I'm letting you stay alive is because of that. I never thought that I would be even with you for that, Lorenzo, but I realize that I'm even with you now. If I ever see you in Port Charles again, I will tell Sonny everything."  
  
"Sonny will hate you," Lorenzo said. "Sonny would see it as a betrayal, because it was."  
  
"I can live with that. Sonny will forgive me in time."  
  
"Are you so sure?"  
  
"Yes, I am," Carly opened the door. "You need to leave."  
  
"This is not your..."  
  
"Leave!" Carly yelled. "I will never love you. You have no reason to stay in this town!"  
  
"As long as you are here, there is always a reason for me to return," Lorenzo got up and walked out. "Always a reason to return..."  
  
Carly shut Lorenzo's own door in his face before she walked over to the couch and began to weep. Everything was her fault. Regardless of how much she was unaware of what had happened, he did what he did because of some twisted feeling that she wanted him to do it. Sonny would hate her forever... he could never find out. 


	29. Nabbed

Journeylove- I gots the love! The love! Yay! Anyway, I'm glad you were shocked by that, it was planned from the beginning. I hope that the others who read this were equally alarmed, since I want it to be a shocker. Let's hope, yes?  
  
Story-  
  
Lorenzo was a broken man. He had lost the love of his life, the one thing that allowed him to maintain a certain level of sanity in his existence. He had always hoped beyond hope that Carly would realize that he was the right person for him, but it was painfully obvious that she was never going to actually think the same of him as he thought of her. It was all that twit Al's fault. If he had never botched up the mission that he was sent with, things would have been different. Damian would have been dead, he wouldn't have been made some hero simply because he saved Carly's darling son's life. Lorenzo couldn't blame Carly for being so angry at him and being so much warmer towards Damian. Lorenzo knew that Carly's love would always side with that of her children. Putting Michael or Morgan in danger was the easiest way to spurn Carly's affections. Lorenzo had thought about making it appear that Sonny had done that very thing to his own children on more than one occasion but always knew that Carly wouldn't buy it. She was a believer in the fact that Sonny would always work for the safety of his children, regardless of how foolish that may have been.  
  
He couldn't go back to the apartment, he knew that she would always look for him there. But he had many other places that he could hide out. He wasn't going to leave Port Charles anytime soon. He had been crushed by the sheer fact that Damian Zuniga existed. If it weren't for that boy coming into the picture, everything would have been so much different, so much better. Lorenzo was going to make Sonny suffer, he was going to give Carly the thing that she still wanted. Once she got over the fact that Damian had saved Michael's life she would go back to hating him. He would prove himself to her... he would.  
  
He opened the door to one of his various safe-houses in the immediate area, still in Port Charles. They were all purchased under different names, different aliases to conceal his true identity from his enemies. This particular one was by the lake. It was a beautiful home, one that he had hoped he would take Carly to when they were finally together. They would be together, there was nothing that was going to stop him.  
  
Lorenzo's cheek throbbed like it had been hit with a brick. Carly had a very powerful slap, he knew that from prior experiences, before he fell for her the way that he did. Maybe it wasn't that which caused his pain. Lorenzo had been in his fair share of brawls during his life. He knew he could take a hit better than that. It wasn't his face that was wounded. It was his pride. His ego. He had never thought it would escalate to the level that it had.  
  
Lorenzo thought back to his past love. His Sophie. She had been his everything. The woman that had allowed him to stay the good natured man he once was. He thought, if he had Carly to himself, that he could reclaim that innocence. He should have known better. He should have known that it would never go back to the way that it was. Carly was lost to him forever in the same way that his lost innocence could never be reclaimed. It was sad. It was all Damian Zuniga's fault...  
  
Lorenzo picked up his phone and dialed. He used a secure line, not wanting to risk the same problem that had happened because of the cell phone mishap. "I want every single man that is in the area to the lake house immediately. Yes, tonight!" Lorenzo slammed his phone down. "You've caused me a great deal of pain, Zuniga. You and that father of yours. I will see to it that you both suffer because of Carly's pain!"  
  
A half hour later every single man that Lorenzo Alcazar employed in the immediate area was waiting around in the lake house for his orders. Lorenzo had come out of his room, looking at old pictures... of a time long past. He stood in front of them all, "I have a mission that must be completed tonight. There will be no questions asked until I am finished. You will listen." Lorenzo began to pace, "I am a man of power. You all know this. I could end your lives right here without any trouble and I would not even be punished for it, but that will not happen. I need you now. Even with all my power, there is one way that I have not been victorious in my life, that is with the woman of my desire: Carly Corinthos. She is not the target of this plan, though. I will win Carly without forcing myself on her. No, you will capture a young man and you will bring him here, to me. His name is Damian Zuniga, he is in General Hospital as we speak. He is Sonny Corinthos's son. Do whatever it takes, but you will bring him to me before the night is over. If you do not, I will see to it that you join Al in the abyss." Lorenzo looked at them all, "Go!' The men all piled out of the house in a hurry. They had their instructions. Lorenzo paid them beyond their wildest dreams to follow those orders exactly as they were said. They would not fail him. There was no way that a cadre that large could fail him.  
  
General Hospital, 3 AM-  
  
Courtney couldn't do it. She couldn't stay awake the entire time. But she knew how to force herself awake if she heard anything, the slightest sound that sounded foreign to her ears. The hospital was barely filled with anyone, getting in and out wouldn't be a problem as long as the security cameras could be avoided.  
  
A squad of five men, cloaked in stolen doctors clothing that they had gotten from the few remaining workers, came into the room.  
  
Courtney opened her eyes, "Is something wrong?" She asked, seeing the men in the garbs of doctors.  
  
"No, there's nothing wrong... or there won't be in a moment," One of the men went towards her and tried to slap her.  
  
Courtney saw the attack coming and put her arm up, effectively blocking before she kicked the man in the knee. He yelled out in pain, a shrill shriek that woke Damian up in an instance.  
  
"What's going on?" He asked, trying to decipher the events.  
  
"Damian... can you move?" Courtney asked as she tried to fight off the men.  
  
"I can't walk... it hurts too much," Damian replied.  
  
Courtney didn't know what she was going to do. There were too many. She tried to keep on fighting, but aside from the first man, there were too many that were active. They surrounded her. Courtney still managed to get a few blows in, but eventually one of them got a punch to the back of her head that knocked her unconscious.  
  
"Aunt Courtney!" Damian saw his aunt's slender figure drop to the ground. Damian tried to press his call button.  
  
One of the men laughed, "Do you think we're too stupid to know that we have to disconnect that thing?"  
  
"What are you doing..."  
  
"My job," One of the men replied as he kicked Damian in the head, knocking him out as well.  
  
"What do we do about the girl?" Another asked.  
  
"Kill her!" The injured one ordered.  
  
"Wait, that's Courtney Morgan," Another observed. "She's Jason Morgan's wife, and Carly's best friend!"  
  
"I don't care who she is!" This again came from the man that had been injured by Courtney.  
  
"The boss does," The man who was now carrying Damian in his arms commented. "Courtney is Carly's best friend, he doesn't want to hurt Carly, so doing something to Courtney would only irk him."  
  
"But she saw us..."  
  
"Fine, bring her with us," The one carrying Damian said. "We could always use her as a hostage."  
  
"Stupid kung-fu bitch," The injured man hobbled up as another grabbed Courtney.  
  
"Let's get out of here," One opened the door and they all piled out.  
  
Lake House-  
  
Lorenzo waited until the doors burst open. He saw not one, but two bodies being carried. He knew one of them belonged to Courtney. "What are you doing with Courtney Morgan?"  
  
"She was watching him," The one carrying Courtney explained. "She would have said something."  
  
"I wanted her dead," The injured one added.  
  
"Only a fool would have allowed Courtney to die," Lorenzo muttered. "Jason Morgan would hunt every single person down and kill them himself."  
  
"Told you," The one carrying Damian said sarcastically.  
  
"Tie him to the bed in the guest room," Lorenzo said.  
  
"Yes, sir!" The man carrying Damian ran into the guest room.  
  
"What about her?" Someone asked, regarding Courtney.  
  
"I can't have her telling everyone about what had happened. You're sure that nobody saw you?"  
  
"Our tech expert managed to hack into the hospital computer system and shut down all the cameras in the hospital for a good ten minutes. We were in and out within 5. The staff was all detained. There was no way that we could have been spotted."  
  
"Good," Lorenzo said. "I will make sure that you all are handsomely compensated for this mission of which you have done for me. Tie Courtney to the chair and leave her in the living room. Make sure she is blindfolded. The only one I want to see me is Zuniga himself." Lorenzo walked away into the room that Damian was in. "Now all I do is wait for you to come around."  
  
Dawn-  
  
Damian opened his eyes and moaned. His head was killing him. What had happened? He couldn't remember anything. The last thing he remembered was... Courtney! He looked around and saw that he wasn't in the hospital anymore. Where was he?  
  
"I'm glad to see that you've woken up," Lorenzo said.  
  
"What... Alcazar?"  
  
"You've ruined my life, Damian. I'm going to ruin yours and your father's as a payment."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Carly no longer sees me as a desirable person because of what happened with Michael."  
  
"You're the one who almost had him hit, aren't you?" Damian asked, angered. "You're twisted."  
  
"That wasn't my intention, Damian," Lorenzo replied. "I would never try to hurt Michael. He means too much to Carly. You, however, mean nothing to her."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You didn't know?" Lorenzo smiled. "Carly wanted you out of the picture. She wanted any measures to be taken to get rid of you."  
  
"You're lying?"  
  
"Am I?" Lorenzo wondered. "I guess you'll never know."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Damian asked, struggling and feeling his ribs scream out in pain.  
  
"I wouldn't think about moving if I were you," Lorenzo said sadistically. "You should be thankful that I'm keeping you alive..."  
  
"What happened to my aunt?" Damian looked around. "If you killed her..."  
  
"Please, I would never hurt Courtney."  
  
"You cost her the baby that she was carrying..."  
  
"That was a sad occurrence in my life," Lorenzo muttered. "She is safe, you can be sure of that."  
  
"Why am I here?"  
  
"Because I'm going to kill you in front of your father and then I'm going to kill him," Lorenzo said bluntly. "Enjoy the wait." 


	30. Painful Confessionary

Los Angeles, California-  
  
Sonny had not gotten any sleep over the night. There was no real reason for it. He was in a comfortable bed, there was no amount of noise that was keeping him awake from outside, he just couldn't sleep. Sonny had gone through many sleepless nights in his life, and they could almost always be attributed to one thing: his guilt. Sonny often could cloud himself in a false sense of moral righteousness that let him continue on with his life, but every so often that shield was shattered and he wouldn't be able to bring it back for a time. He had been feeling his guilt press on him harder and harder ever since he spent that first night at the hospital with his son, and now, as he waited to inform the people who had raised Damian about his condition, he found that it was too much.  
  
Sonny picked up the hotel phone and dialed the house number to the Penthouse. It was 8 in the morning in Los Angeles, it would be 11 in the morning in Port Charles. Michael would already be in school. If Carly wasn't there, Leticia would be.  
  
Carly heard the phone ring in the penthouse. She looked at the ID and saw that it wasn't a number that she knew, but she also knew that Sonny would be calling her from a line that wasn't going to be identified. She picked it up, "Hello?"  
  
"Carly?" Sonny said.  
  
"Sonny, hi," Carly shifted around uneasily. Did Sonny know anything? Had Lorenzo found a way to contact Sonny and tell him of her dealings with him? How she was indirectly responsible for the plight that had befallen his son? "How are you?"  
  
"You know me," Sonny sat on the bed again. "Just trying to get up the courage to make the drive over."  
  
"Sonny, you know that you don't have to do this, right?" Carly said, sympathetically. She thought that the idea wasn't the smartest thing in the world because of the fact that she didn't know how the Zuniga's would respond to Sonny, especially if he was bringing them horrible news like he was.  
  
"I know that I don't have to," Sonny repeated, "but I feel that I should."  
  
"Is Jason there?" Carly asked. She was going to tell Jason to make sure that nothing happened to Sonny.  
  
"No, he's in his room," Sonny replied. "Have you been to the hospital today?"  
  
"No, I haven't," Carly said. "I was going to wait till Michael got home and then we'd go together."  
  
"I would have liked you to go, Carly. I want to make sure that everything is still okay..."  
  
"Sonny, if anything would have happened the doctors or Courtney would have called us," Carly replied.  
  
"Maybe I should call..."  
  
"Sonny, he's probably asleep," Carly knew how much the recovery was going to drain the boy. "And Courtney's probably resting as well. She likely spent all night watching him and now that it's daylight she might be trying to catch up on some sleep."  
  
"I still worry, you know?" Sonny asked.  
  
"Yes, I know that you worry about everything," Carly said with a soft laugh. "But you don't need to worry about this, Sonny. Courtney will keep him safe. I'll make you a deal, okay? Once Leticia gets back from getting some lunch, I will go to the hospital myself and check up on them."  
  
"Leticia's gone?" Sonny asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm watching Morgan," Carly replied. "I can do that, you know. I did give birth to the boy, after all."  
  
Sonny chuckled, "I don't doubt that you can't watch our son, Carly. Fine, you win. I should get going, anyway."  
  
"Don't let them abuse you, Sonny," Carly said. "Don't let them guilt you into thinking that this is your fault, because it's not."  
  
"I don't know if I can remember that," Sonny said honestly. "I don't know how I'm going to do this..."  
  
"Let Jason help you," Carly said. She heard Morgan crying from his crib. "Sonny, Morgan's crying, I have to go."  
  
"I love you, Carly," Sonny finished his end of the call with a simple gesture.  
  
"I love you, too," Carly replied, hanging up the phone and feeling a tear run down her cheek. She loved her husband, but she didn't love him enough to save him from feeling the pain that she had instrumented.  
  
Sonny heard the line go dead. He looked at the phone, thinking about actually giving Damian a call anyway. But he knew that Carly was right. The boy needed his rest, and Sonny's little sister was already doing a lot for him, if he woke her up he would feel bad. Sonny got out of bed and opened the door, "Jason!"  
  
Jason opened his door, which was right across from Sonny's, "Yeah?" Jason was already dressed and looked like he was ready for anything.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"Sonny," Jason started, "don't you think it's a little early to go visit someone?"  
  
"Jason, these people are always up early," Sonny responded. "Besides, the sooner that we tell them, the sooner that I can leave and go back to my son."  
  
"How can you be so sure that they will be home?" Jason pondered. "You don't know much about them."  
  
"If they're not home, we'll find them and tell them," Sonny said. "You coming or not?"  
  
"Yeah," Jason got his jacket and put it on over his navy blue shirt. "Let's go."  
  
Outside the Zuniga Residence-  
  
Sonny gave Jason the silent treatment the entire ride over from the Hotel. It wasn't long, and they had managed to beat the rush hour traffic so they made the journey in less than 20 minutes. Jason wasn't expecting Sonny to be open about anything at that time, though. He knew that Sonny was going through so much because of what had happened. Sonny was his mentor, his best friend, and he was in pain. Jason couldn't even begin to imagine what Sonny was going through, and he was somewhat happy that he would never actually have to worry about it. Courtney wouldn't have children... it was a sad thought, but when he saw how much Sonny worried about all his boys, it was hard for Jason to not be thankful that he would never have to feel the same thing.  
  
When the driver stopped, Sonny got out. Jason stayed inside, leaning over, "Do you want me to come with you?"  
  
Sonny shook his head, "I need to do this alone. You're only here to make sure that I don't leave without saying everything."  
  
Jason gave a brief nod, "Okay."  
  
Sonny stepped onto the concrete walkway that he had only walked on twice in his life, both times to do something that wasn't pleasant to anyone involved. Even though the house was mere feet away, it could have been so much longer to Sonny. They felt like miles, each step that he took made it seem like he was grasping for air, looking for something that could never end. He took a look back at the car, at his salvation. He saw Jason's eyes looking directly at him. Jason wouldn't let Sonny leave without saying something. It wasn't just for Sonny's sake, though, it was also for Damian's.  
  
Sonny finally made it to the front door and he knocked. A second past, and then another. Sonny felt a drop of sweat begin to fall down his brow. His body was tensing up. He had done plenty in his life that made him feel nervous, but the situation he was in at that moment easily had him acting the strangest that he had ever done in his life.  
  
Sonny had hoped that it would have been Victoria who answered the door, but his luck wasn't holding and Elias was the one who did. The patriarch of the family that his son had the last name of did not look thrilled to see Sonny, but he knew who the man in front of him was. "Can I help you?" Elias asked.  
  
"Mr. Zuniga..."  
  
"What is it, Corinthos?" Elias continued. "Why are you here?"  
  
"Is your wife here?" Sonny really wanted to talk with Victoria, she was so much different than her husband. So much less intense about everything.  
  
"No, she's at the market doing shopping for our family," Elias answered. "She'll be gone most of the day."  
  
Sonny was going to ask why it took her so long to do some simple shopping, but since he rarely did any shopping on his own, he couldn't say anything. "This..." Sonny tried to find a word to express his grief. He tried again, "I'm here because I have to tell you something..."  
  
"Spit it out then," Elias ordered. "You're wasting my time."  
  
"Look, I know that you don't like me very much..."  
  
"Isn't that obvious?" Elias cut in.  
  
"But I am your grandson's father, and I will not be treated like I am some criminal..."  
  
"Aren't you, though?" Elias inquired. "Do you not traffic illegal products through your harbors in Port Charles? Did you not work for the man who wanted to destroy me and my family..."  
  
"I was young, I didn't know how to stand up for myself... but I'm doing that now. If you don't want me to tell you what happened to your grandson, fine. I'll leave and you won't know anything."  
  
"Do not even attempt to use Damian against me!" Elias's eyes, which were very much like Damian's, burned into Sonny. "What is it?"  
  
"He's... in the hospital," Sonny finally said.  
  
"What?" Elias's anger quickly turned to worry. "How did that happen?"  
  
"Two nights ago he was struck by a truck and flung into the air," Sonny said. "He broke several of his ribs, bruised his tailbone and lost a lot of blood..."  
  
"Is... he..."  
  
"No, he's alive," Sonny answered. "He's awake, and alert. There is no brain damage that was sustained."  
  
"You had something to do with this, didn't you?" Elias, his worry washing over him, had returned to anger.  
  
"No," Sonny replied. "I didn't know what was going on. It was an accident."  
  
"Nothing is never an accident when someone spends their life the way you do! I should know, I spent years working the same way that you do, Corinthos. Why do you think I lost everything? Because of all the sins that I had committed when I was younger!"  
  
"I had nothing to do with the accident!" Sonny yelled. "I would never harm any of my children! I don't care how much you hate me for doing what I did to your daughter over twenty years ago, and I will never be able to forgive myself for that night, but I won't let you or anything else dare say that I am someone who would not go to the ends of the Earth to protect my children, because I would!" Sonny calmed himself down somewhat, "I came here because I felt that you had a right to know what was going on. I didn't have to tell you anything, but I did."  
  
"Damian would have let us know sometime," Elias muttered, although he was aware of the fact that the boy was calling them less and less as he spent more time in Port Charles. It was almost like they were stealing Damian from the Zuniga's. "He still cares for us."  
  
"I know he does, and because of that fact I forced myself here... I didn't want to be accused of doing things that I didn't do by anyone, especially you." Sonny got out a piece of paper and wrote something down. "Here."  
  
Elias took the paper and looked at it, "What is this?'  
  
"His phone number at the hospital, call him if you want. Tell your wife not to worry, and don't forget the fact that I'm going to protect him from something like this happening to him again."  
  
"You truly swear that you had nothing to do with the accident?" Elias asked.  
  
"I would never hurt my children, if you don't understand how a father loves his children then maybe I shouldn't have come here."  
  
"I know what it is like to love children better than you think, Corinthos." Elias held the paper in his hand. "I gave up everything to start a family, to protect my future children and the woman that I loved. I gave up the money and the power. I gave up my false idea of happiness for true joy in life when I decided that I would no longer have a part in the organizations of crime. Is that something that you could do?"  
  
"I... don't know."  
  
"Then it would be in your best interests to find out," Elias responded. "I do appreciate the information that you have given me, and I know that my wife will appreciate it as well. But let something be known, Corinthos, I am giving you the benefit of the doubt in this situation. If my grandson suffers anymore while under your care, I will find a way to make you pay..." Elias shut the door.  
  
Sonny turned around, shaking his head, trying to regain his composure. He had done what he went to do. He had gotten the information to Damian's family. He had proven himself to be a good father in his own eyes, and his opinion was one of the only ones that mattered. 


	31. Guilt

General Hospital-  
  
Carly didn't need to wait long for Leticia to return from Kelly's with her lunch. Carly thought about leaving right away, but decided that she should have given the nanny enough time to actually enjoy her lunch. Then she got an idea that came into her head, maybe Damian would like to see his baby brother. It was true that Damian had protested being around Morgan a lot, or at least holding him because of a fear of dropping the child, but he was going to be lying down. The only place that Morgan was going to get dropped was onto the bed, which was soft and cushioned. Plus, it would give Leticia a break that she direly needed. Carly knew that it wasn't easy, watching after Michael and Morgan almost all the time while Sonny and Carly dealt with the drama that seemed to always envelope their lives. Leticia didn't seem to mind, although it was she who got everything ready for Morgan's trip to the hospital.  
  
Bobbie had come in to start her 12 hour shift. They ended up taking different elevators, which converged on the 4th floor at the same time. She turned to her left and saw her daughter and her youngest grandson. "You brought Morgan?" Bobbie asked.  
  
"Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"Well, hospitals aren't exactly the best place for babies," Bobbie said.  
  
"This is where his brother is," Carly said. "Damian might want to see Morgan, don't you think?"  
  
"I think it's a nice gesture," Bobbie smiled. "Especially coming from you."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Carly asked, although she already knew the answer deep down in her heart.  
  
"Carly, you and he weren't exactly the best of friends when you met. We tried to get you both to stop being so hostile towards one another, but it didn't seem like it was going to be working."  
  
"I was stupid..."  
  
"And even after he gave up on trying to be your enemy. Even when he tried to be your friend, you were still there trying to push him out of our lives."  
  
"Mom, I said I was being stupid!" Carly didn't want to hear about her mistakes again, like an episode of this 'this is your life' gone horribly wrong.  
  
"At least you're admitting it now," Bobbie muttered.  
  
"Could we talk about something else?" Carly was almost begging.  
  
"On one condition..."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You give me my grandson," Bobbie looked at Morgan and saved. Morgan made a sound that showed he knew who the person in front of him was.  
  
"Here, Morgan. Why don't you spend some time with Grandma," Carly handed the baby over to her mother, something that Carly originally thought she would never do in her life, but she felt that it was a good choice and one that just felt natural.  
  
"Did Courtney call you or something?" Bobbie asked, gently bobbing Morgan up and down in her arms.  
  
"No, Sonny called. He wanted to call the hospital room, but I told him that it probably wasn't the best idea for him to be calling when Damian might have been sleeping. Courtney might have been sleeping as well."  
  
A man walked past and pumped into Carly on accident. He looked at her and shook his head, "My apologies."  
  
Carly thought she recognized the man, dressed in a doctor's uniform. She didn't think much of it, "Its fine." She watched him leave, "Do you know him, mom?"  
  
"Not very well, no," Bobbie answered. "He's been working here for a few months, but he doesn't talk to the rest of us that often. He seems like a nice guy, though. Why, you thinking about leaving Sonny, finding yourself a doctor?"  
  
"Mother!" Carly scoffed. "If anything happened between Sonny and I, he would kill anyone that even tried to court me, it wouldn't be safe for me to date anymore after I broke up with him."  
  
"It was a joke, Carly..."  
  
"I wasn't joking," She muttered. She knew that Sonny would never let her go, unless he was dead. She didn't want Sonny to let her go, and she certainly didn't want Sonny dead. "Have you seen Damian today?'  
  
"No, I just got in," Bobbie was dressed, but she had her uniform at home and she changed there. "I was going to check on him."  
  
"Why don't we do that together?" Carly asked. "I'm sure he'd like to see us both."  
  
"Yeah, I think he would like that as well," Bobbie carried Morgan in her arms as she walked around the corner.  
  
Room 467-  
  
Carly opened the door, "We brought a visitor," She looked around and instantly felt a panic. "Mother... he's not in here!"  
  
"What?" Bobbie was behind Carly and couldn't see anything. But when she moved out of the way she could see that there was nothing that showed that Damian was around. Courtney wasn't around either. "Oh..."  
  
"What happened?" Carly asked. "Why didn't the hospital know that he was gone?" Carly's eyes darted back and forth around the room. "My God, Courtney's not here, either!"  
  
"Carly, calm down..."  
  
"How can I calm down?" Carly asked. "My best friend and my stepson are missing!" Carly saw the bed. "Look... it's not even made. Someone had to take him and Courtney!"  
  
"Carly, we've got security cameras everywhere in the hospital. Someone would have found him."  
  
"Mother, your brother has staged how many breakouts in this hospital while getting past the cameras?"  
  
"Do you think Luke had something to do with this?'  
  
"No, of course not. I'm just saying that it's possible for a breakout to happen." Carly thought back. "That man..."  
  
"What man?'  
  
"The doctor guy that I bumped into when I got here..."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"He works for Lorenzo!" Carly had seen him on the boat while she was being held captive. She should have known that Lorenzo would have people that were paid by him working as staff on the hospital.  
  
"What does Alcazar have to do with this?" Bobbie inquired, holding Morgan who was beginning to understand that something was making his mother and his grandmother very unhappy.  
  
"He wouldn't..." Carly muttered. "He couldn't..."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I think Lorenzo kidnapped them both," Carly admitted.  
  
"Why would he do that?"  
  
"To get back at me..."  
  
"For what?" Bobbie was tired of the questions. "Carly, you're not making any sense at all!"  
  
Carly began to cry, realizing that everything that she had done in her life was catching up with her rapidly. "Mom... you have to promise to not tell anyone about what I'm going to tell you right now, okay? Nobody, especially Sonny."  
  
"I promise..."  
  
"I... hired Lorenzo to get rid of Damian."  
  
"You what?!" Morgan started to cry. Bobbie held him closer to her. "It's okay, baby, its okay." Bobbie cut her voice down a few volumes, "What do you mean, you hired him?"  
  
"I said what I meant," Carly sat on the bed. "I wanted Damian out of our lives," Carly looked up at her mother, her mascara running with her tears. "I told Lorenzo how much he was hurting me."  
  
"How was he hurting you?"  
  
"He wasn't! Not really. I see that now, but when he first came I was so angry and hurt that Sonny would have a child with someone else..."  
  
"Carly, you and Sonny hadn't even met at that time!"  
  
"Mom! I'm trying to tell you what happened..."  
  
"I'm sorry," Bobbie sat on the chair next to her daughter. "Please continue."  
  
"I said that I wanted him gone and I told Lorenzo to get rid of him. I helped Lorenzo get Sonny into that conversation that they had... the one that pushed Damian away the first time and before Michael lost his voice. After that I realized that I wasn't doing something that was helping anyone. The only thing I was doing was hurting my children and my husband, but I still didn't want him around. I didn't tell Lorenzo to continue... but I didn't tell him to stop either. He was one of the people that staged the wrongful charges that were brought on Damian and he was the one who hired the man that almost hit Michael..."  
  
"You really think that Lorenzo Alcazar was responsible for all of this?"  
  
"Who else could it be? He's twisted, mother! I should have realized that sooner, but I wanted someone to help me and everyone that I trusted was against me when I thought I needed Damian out of my life!" Carly broke down, "I didn't know that I was doing something that was so horrible."  
  
"You never know when you're doing something stupid, Carly!" Bobbie wasn't trying to sound snide, but her daughter had just orchestrated a plan that could have put someone that Bobbie loved very much in danger, as well as Courtney. "Now look at what's happened because of you. Your best friend and your husband's son are missing and we don't know where they are!"  
  
"What am I going to do?"  
  
"Call the police?"  
  
"No... we can't call the police, they'll just get in the way!"  
  
"Carly, the hospital has to call the police when a patient has become missing, it's the law. Sonny could sue the hospital for not protecting his son as it is..."  
  
"I don't think he will," Carly said. "I'll ask him not to."  
  
"I don't care what happens to the hospital. We need to see if there are any hints on the security camera that would help us find Damian."  
  
"Mom... just tell me everything is going to be all right."  
  
"I wish I could, Carly," Bobbie hugged her daughter, "but I'm not going to lie to you. If something happens, if something hasn't happened already, you might be the one that gets the blame." 


	32. Too Far Away

Sonny's Plane-  
  
"I heard you, you know," Jason walked in from the back to the main part of the plane where Sonny was resting.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sonny asked.  
  
"I heard you stand up for yourself against Damian's grandfather..."  
  
"And?"  
  
"What?" Jason didn't think there was going to be a follow up.  
  
"Jason, just tell me what you want to say."  
  
"I think you did the right thing," Jason said. "I was very happy to see that you weren't going to let him talk down to you like he did."  
  
"He tried to tell me that I was a bad father, Jason," Sonny began. "I know that I'm a lot of things, not many of them are good, but I also happen to know that I am a good husband and a good father."  
  
"I know that, too," Jason said. It was the reason why he let Michael stay with Sonny, why he gave up his rights to the boy that he loved so much. He knew that Sonny was good for Michael, probably better than Jason could have ever been. "You told him what he needed to know and you didn't hesitate."  
  
"I was so nervous..."  
  
"I could tell, you were shaking. I thought I was going to need to help you."  
  
"I don't need help, I can deal with my own problems," Sonny grabbed the phone.  
  
"You going to call Carly?"  
  
"I'm going to ask how my son is..."  
  
"Good idea," Jason said.  
  
Sonny dialed the home number. Leticia picked up after a few rings. "Hello? Leticia? Yeah, is Carly there? She's still at the hospital? She took Morgan with her? She didn't give a time that she would be back, did she? No, I didn't think she would. Okay, thanks." Sonny hung up the phone.  
  
"Morgan's at the hospital?"  
  
"Not because there's something wrong with him," Sonny said. "Carly just thought that it would have been good for Damian to see Morgan."  
  
"She's probably right."  
  
"Probably?'  
  
Jason sat on the other couch, "Yeah. You know how nervous Damian gets when he's around Morgan. It reminds me a lot of how I was when Michael was a baby. I didn't know a thing about holding a child. I always thought that I was going to do something wrong and he'd get hurt."  
  
"You did a good job bringing him up by himself when Carly was sick," Sonny said. "I can't thank you enough for that."  
  
"You don't need to thank me." Jason had done everything for Michael. Sonny's thanks was not needed, but it was a nice thought.  
  
Sonny grabbed the phone again, "I'm going to see if Carly's in the room. Maybe I can talk to Courtney or Damian, see if everything is okay." Sonny dialed the number, which he had already memorized in his head. He let it ring continually, each ring causing him to become less sure of himself, wondering why nobody was picking up. Was something wrong? Sonny hung up the phone, "Dammit."  
  
"What?"  
  
"There was no answer," Sonny looked over at Jason. "You don't think something could have happened, do you?"  
  
"I think Carly or Courtney would have told you something had happened by now."  
  
"Not if it just happened," Sonny picked up the phone a third time and called the hospital itself.  
  
Bobbie was at the station, looking at Carly who was trying not to cry while she was holding Morgan. Bobbie heard the phone ring. She looked over at it, thinking that she should have let someone else pick it up, but she decided that she was there and it was her job to answer the phone if she were there. "General Hospital."  
  
"Bobbie?"  
  
"Sonny," Bobbie felt her heart sink. Carly looked over at her mother when she heard her husband's name called.  
  
"I tried to call Damian's room and nobody answered. Is everything okay? Leticia said that Carly was at the hospital."  
  
"She is," Bobbie said. "She's actually right here."  
  
"Why isn't she with him?"  
  
"I think you should talk to her," Bobbie's voice was filled with worry. Carly was shaking her head, trying to protest talking to her husband. "Give me a second to get her, she's holding Morgan..." Bobbie walked over. "You have to tell him, Carly!"  
  
"Mom, I don't want to! He'll be angry at me!"  
  
"Carly, he's going to be even more upset with you if you keep this a secret from him until he gets back. Tell him now... he's going to find out sometime."  
  
Carly felt that she had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she didn't like that feeling at all. She wanted to do something else, anything else, but she didn't want to tell Sonny that his son and his sister were missing. But she knew that her mother was correct. Someone had to tell Sonny, and as much as it hurt her, she knew that the person had to be her. Carly gave Morgan to Bobbie again, taking on last look at her baby. What would she have been thinking if Morgan had been the one that was gone? If it had been Michael? She couldn't even begin to think about what Sonny would be going through while he was worrying about his son being missing. She had to tell him. He could start working on finding them as soon as possible. "Sonny?"  
  
"Carly... what's wrong?'  
  
The second she heard his voice, she began to cry. "Sonny..."  
  
"Carly," Sonny's feelings of worry were escalated even more. "Tell me what's wrong. What happened?'  
  
"Damian's gone..."  
  
"What do you mean, gone?" Sonny felt his heart sink. "Did... he..."  
  
"No, I don't think he's dead."  
  
"You don't think? Carly, he should be at the hospital..."  
  
"But he's not," She said. "Sonny, Courtney and Damian are missing."  
  
"How in the hell did the hospital manage to lose them? Two people don't just vanish out of thin air!"  
  
Jason knew that something was wrong, and when it became 'them' he jumped to the correct conclusion that it had something to do with Courtney. "What's wrong, Sonny?"  
  
On her end of the line, Carly told Sonny the one thing that she knew, "Alcazar did it... I think Lorenzo's the one who took them."  
  
"I knew I should have killed that bastard!" Sonny was angry once more. "Carly, who knows?"  
  
"Just me and mom right now," She said. "What am I going to tell Michael?"  
  
"Don't tell Michael anything until Jason and I get back. We're already in the air, we should be home in a few hours," Sonny was so angry and worried that his entire body was shaking with the jumbled feelings. "Carly... take him out of school right now."  
  
"What?"  
  
"If Alcazar is striking at me through my children then I need to make sure that everyone else is safe!" Sonny thought she would have understood that. "Carly, please! Take Morgan back to the penthouse once you get Michael out of school and stay there until Jason and I get home. Don't open the door for anyone. I'm going to have everyone stay around the penthouse until I return. Can you do that for me?"  
  
"Yes, Sonny. I'll stay at home if that's what you want." Carly cried, "I'm sorry... Sonny... for what happened, I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault, Carly," Sonny hung up the phone.  
  
Carly fell down, weeping. It was her fault. No matter what Sonny said, it was her fault.  
  
Jason didn't understand what was going on, but he wanted to know. "Sonny, what happened? Where's Courtney?"  
  
"Courtney and Damian were taken from the hospital sometime between the time that Carly left the hospital last night and when she was there this morning."  
  
"We need to get home."  
  
"Yes, we do," Sonny agreed. "But what if we're too late?"  
  
"Don't say that, Sonny. Courtney knows how to protect herself."  
  
"I'm not worried about my little sister, Jason! I know that Courtney can take care of herself, but Damian's injured, nursing several broken bones. How am I supposed to just sit around while my son is missing?"  
  
"Do you have any ideas who took them?" Jason wondered.  
  
"Who else? That freak, Alcazar."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Carly seems to be pretty sure that it was him," Sonny said. "I don't know why she thinks it was, but I'm going to believe her until I know otherwise. It's not above him to kidnap members of my family."  
  
"I should have stayed..."  
  
"Jason, what happened isn't your fault. I don't think you could have done anything even if you were there, honestly." Sonny was trying to remain calm, but it was hard. If he lost his cool... he could lose his son. He picked up the phone again and dialed a number, "Max? Damian and Courtney are missing. No, I don't want you to go look for them! I want you to stay at the penthouse and make sure that nothing happens. Carly is going to bring Michael and Morgan back. I want you to protect my family until I get back."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Jason asked.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Sonny replied. "We're going to find Alcazar. We're going to make him tell us where Damian and Courtney are, and then we're going to kill him for messing with the family." 


	33. Barter

Lorenzo's Lake House-  
  
"Mrs. Morgan?" A voice called out to Courtney.  
  
"What happened?" Courtney asked, trying to look around but seeing nothing, all that was around her was a blackness that wouldn't give way to anything. Was she dead? Was she blind?  
  
"Do you remember anything that happened?"  
  
"Where's my nephew?"  
  
The voice chuckled, "So you do remember what happened earlier today."  
  
"Where is he?" Courtney screamed. "Where have you taken him?"  
  
"I can assure you that the boy is safe, for the moment."  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"I'm afraid that such information cannot be given to you, you'll have to be out of the know in that instance."  
  
"Do you realize what's going to happen to you if my brother or my husband finds out where I am?" Courtney asked. "Do you know what Jason and Sonny do to people who try and destroy them?"  
  
"We're all well aware of the power that the men in your life possess, Mrs. Morgan. Frankly, however, we don't care."  
  
"It will be your mistake," Courtney grinned. "We're going to get out of this."  
  
"That's an optimistic viewpoint, don't you think?'  
  
"Not for someone who has as much experience in this as I do," Courtney replied. "Sonny and Jason always find a way to get me out of danger."  
  
"You seem to put yourself in danger quite frequently."  
  
"It's never intentional," She said.  
  
"Very few things in life are ever intentional, Mrs. Morgan." The voice appeared to be somewhat more distant. "Would you care for something to drink?"  
  
"Why should I trust you?"  
  
The voice came closer, "What choice do you have? I'm the only one who you know is in the room right now. Who is to say that your nephew isn't a few feet away from you, lying in agony?"  
  
"Leave him alone, please!" Courtney said, her voice cracking in a nervous state. "He's hurt... he needs medical attention."  
  
"We studied his condition enough to know that there is nothing at this point in time that requires an actual doctor," The voice said, putting a drink to Courtney's lip and tipping the glass. "But, worry not, we will find a way to get him medical attention, should he require it."  
  
"How nice of you," Courtney said, breathing. "Too bad you already ruined your record kidnapping both of us. Who do you work for? Faith? Is she back?"  
  
"Mrs. Rosco hasn't been seen from in quite some time, although nobody in particular is mourning that fact. However, you may continue guessing. Even if you get it right, I will not tell you anything."  
  
"Just let me hear Damian... and make sure that he's all right, please."  
  
The voice made a sound that appeared to be thinking about something. "I will discuss this with my superior. If the person in question agrees, I shall take you to your nephew for a time. However, the blindfold will remain on."  
  
Guest Room-  
  
Damian struggled in his bounds again. Once more the pain that he felt was massive. He began to cry from the pain, but he would not make a sound that showed he was in pain. The tears that streamed down his face were the only indications that he was suffering that he was willing to give to anyone. He thought about what was happening. He thought about Carly, about what Alcazar had told him. She had done something to bring this to a head? She had wanted him out of her life that much? Was he that bad? He didn't mean to ruin her life so much that she would have plotted his death. He only wanted to be accepted by his family. That wasn't going to happen if he was dead. How much was he going to suffer in order to find a place in the Corinthos regime? Would he ever find his place?  
  
Lorenzo came in, "Ah, it appears that you're awake now."  
  
"You know, if you let me go I think I can convince my dad and Uncle Jason to not kill you for what you've done to Aunt Courtney and I."  
  
Lorenzo laughed, "Nobody has that power, not even Carly." Lorenzo took a few steps forward, "I'm aware that if my plan does not pay off the way that it should I will likely not be alive to see it, and I have accepted that, since I have no intentions of failing."  
  
"Where's Aunt Courtney at?" Damian asked. "If you let her go... I'll do whatever you want."  
  
"How noble," Lorenzo quipped. "Very much like your father in that respect, willing to do anything for the sake of his family. It is one of the only things about Sonny that I respect, even though he tends to abuse that family love that he holds so dearly. He did the same with you, you know?"  
  
Damian turned away, "We all make mistakes."  
  
"Yes, but how many people make as many as your father? How did it feel when he lied to you, Damian? How did it feel when you received that package, learning of everything that he did through a recorded message rather than from the man who was responsible for your birth himself? How did it feel to be betrayed but not one, but two parents..."  
  
"My mother never betrayed me..."  
  
"She didn't?" Lorenzo asked. "Are you certain? Did she not betray you in death? Did she not leave you alone, without a parent to call your own?"  
  
"She didn't have a choice," Damian thought back to his mother, to his shattered faith. If he began to pray at that moment, would he be heard? Would someone find a way to make everything right again? "The cancer killed her before she had a chance to beat it. People die all the time..."  
  
"Nonetheless, you always thought that she would be there for you, did you not?"  
  
"My mother is always here for me when I need her," Damian shot out. "Her memory keeps me going, stronger than ever."  
  
"I admire your adherence to your faith..."  
  
"It's not faith that I adhere to, Alcazar," Damian cut in. "It's love, that's the only faith that I need."  
  
"If you say so," Lorenzo moved towards him again. "You remind me quite a bit of myself when I was your age."  
  
"Sorry, I don't do drug trafficking and killing."  
  
"Neither did I, when I was your age," Lorenzo said. "I was a better man than I am now when I was like you, Damian. If things were different, I would have left you alone. But you have a curse that you will never be able to rid yourself of. You are cursed with the blood of your father."  
  
"I don't look at it as a curse," Damian said.  
  
"You don't?"  
  
"Not anymore," He grinned. "If you attempted to destroy anything that I felt for my father then I regret to inform you that you failed considerably. I love my father now more than I ever did. We have a closer understanding than I ever thought possible, even when he was lying to me and I believed him. You helped us get over the adjustment period better than anyone else could have, thanks for that."  
  
"I see you refuse to lose that sense of humor that you have."  
  
"Who is trying to be humorous? I'm not."  
  
Lorenzo brought out a small blade and cut Damian's cheek. "I would advise you to stop these pathetic attempts at angering me. The next time I may just aim this blade a little lower."  
  
Damian felt the warm blood, his own blood, trickle down his face and down his neck, over the vein that could cause his death if it were severed. "What do you want from me?"  
  
"I want you to be my bait," Lorenzo replied. "I will lure your father here, much like I will lure your uncle here with Courtney. I will rid myself of the two largest thorns in my side, and then I will get rid of you."  
  
"What about my aunt? What are you going to do with her?"  
  
"I doubt that Courtney will survive. She will try to push herself into Jason's arms, and she too will die," Lorenzo had an evil glint in his eyes. "Carly will be alone, she will have only her children... and I will take her with me."  
  
"She won't go with you now."  
  
"She loves me."  
  
"I doubt that."  
  
"I do not," Lorenzo got out the blade again. "What did I say about tempting me?'  
  
"You want to live your life with foolish conceptions, fine... I won't stop you. But I choose to live in the reality of the situation, Alcazar. You're not going to win Carly's love now or ever."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
Lorenzo turned around, "Yes?"  
  
"Courtney Morgan would like to know that her nephew is safe."  
  
Lorenzo sighed. "I suppose that it would run a risk of her finding a way to kill herself if we didn't give her what she wanted. Very well, bring her in." Lorenzo turned his attentions to Damian again, pulling out a gun. "I may only need one of you alive in order to put this plan into action. So, I make this deal with you. You will talk to Courtney. You will tell her that you are all right. You will not say anything about me, you will not give any hints about our location to her or I will put a bullet in her head and you will be responsible for your beloved aunt's death. Do you want that?"  
  
Damian had never felt hatred for someone in the same way he hated Alcazar at that moment. He wanted the man to be gone, not just out of his life, but gone, away from anyone and everyone. "Fine..."  
  
Lorenzo watched as a few of his henchmen brought Courtney, bound and blinded into the room. He looked at Damian and mouthed the words 'remember,' holding his gun directly at Courtney. With that distance, there was no way that he would miss.  
  
"Aunt... Courtney?"  
  
"Damian!" Courtney looked over at the direction of his voice, even though she couldn't see him. "Are you okay, sweetie?"  
  
"I'm fine," Damian replied. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Courtney struggled, "I just wish I knew where I was. Do you know?"  
  
Damian looked over at Lorenzo, "No... I don't know where we are."  
  
"Don't worry, we're going to find a way to get out of here. Your father and Jason are going to get us."  
  
"I know," Damian replied.  
  
"Do you need any medical attention?"  
  
"No... I don't think so."  
  
"You don't know anything? You don't even know who has us here?"  
  
Another glance at Lorenzo, who kept his eyes and his gun on Courtney. "I wish I could give you the answer, Aunt Courtney, but I can't."  
  
"We'll get out of this..."  
  
"Yeah, we will," Damian looked over at Lorenzo one final time, his eyes showing his contempt. Damian had no doubt in his mind that they would find a way to get out of the situation that they were in, even if it cost Alcazar his life. 


	34. Security Measures

Penthouse Towers-  
  
Dillon knew that it was a fate worse than death, a fate that he would never wish on anyone in actuality, but he couldn't help it. He wanted Maxie to be back at the high school. It wasn't because he wanted her to be taking classes there again, dealing with the smug nepotism that ran rampant throughout the halls of the school, he just wanted to keep his eye on her for Damian. Georgie felt the same way, although her reasons were more focused solely on her sister, which was understandable. Dillon had asked how Maxie appeared to be doing, and Georgie said that she seemed to be doing well, but that there was something that Maxie was hiding, because Maxie always hid something from everyone, it was just the way that she worked. She had given herself fully to people in the past, and it always meant that she was going to get hurt in the end. The only one that would know everything about her would be herself. Maybe she would end up trusting Damian that much in the end, she trusted him so much already. They would find a way to trust one another completely. Maxie would learn how to trust someone again, she had to.  
  
Dillon looked up at the towers. It seemed odd, going back there, going home to a home that wasn't really his home but felt more comfortable than going to the place that he had lived for years. Jason was family, that was obvious. Jason was nicer than any of the Quatermaine's, save for Alan, Monica and Emily wanted to give him credit for. Although Dillon had seen Jason at his worst, or what he thought was Jason's worse, he had also seen him at his best, when he was showing how much of a human he was, how much he was different from the vindictive Quatermaine's that had raised them both.  
  
Dillon entered the elevator, taking a breath before he pushed the button that closed the steel doors. They were almost silent, but since he was still uncomfortable with the situation he heard their clang ring in his ears and he jumped. Would he ever feel truly comfortable living at the penthouse?  
  
As soon as the doors opened he found himself being eyed by a plethora of guards. Dillon jumped back, was the honeymoon over already? "Umm..."  
  
Max came forward, "Get out of the elevator, Dillon."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Don't ask questions, just do it," Max ordered.  
  
"Okay..." Dillon cocked an eyebrow as he stepped out. "Is there a reason why the elevator is under tighter security than the pentagon?"  
  
"You don't need to know," Max replied.  
  
"Max..."  
  
"Look, this doesn't concern you."  
  
"I live here now," Dillon said. "It does concern me."  
  
"See if Mrs. Corinthos wants to tell you about it, then," Max replied. "It isn't my place to say anything."  
  
"I'll do that," Dillon replied, somewhat angered by Max's attitude. Dillon didn't enjoy being brushed off, it reminded him too much of how life was like when he was living with the Quatermaine's. The way that they wouldn't take any of his opinions seriously, how they would just brush him off because of his youth and his perceived ignorance. They didn't understand how smart he was, or they chose not to take that into consideration.  
  
Dillon walked over to the door where Sonny and his family lived. He never thought he was going to be going into that house, but if he needed answers, which he did, he would have to. Jason and Courtney could probably just open the door without any problems, but he wasn't a member of their family, he was Jason's family, but that wasn't exactly something that could be used in Dillon's favor. After all, AJ was Dillon's brother. If AJ ever showed up, he'd probably be shot without second thought. Dillon saw nothing wrong with that, he rather liked the idea. He and his cousin never did get along the same way that Dillon got along with Emily and even Jason. AJ was the worst of the children Quatermaine's, the snobbish little twit who thought he would inherit everything and tried his hardest to get in Edward's favor, the same way that Ned had. Dillon took a breath, "I don't think they'd have armed guards in the house..." He knocked softly, wincing and waiting for a bullet to pierce into his spine.  
  
Carly heard the knock and looked at the door cautiously. She hadn't heard anything that signaled a gunfight, and Sonny had so many people protecting the house that there really was no way that anyone would have been able to get through that wasn't supposed to be there. "Who is it?" Carly asked, her voice cracking, even though she had a good idea that she was safe.  
  
"It's Dillon," Dillon replied.  
  
"The door's open," Carly stated, feeling her nerves calm down. Dillon was harmless, or at least he wasn't going to hurt her or her children.  
  
"Is there a reason that we're on defcon?" Dillon asked, opening the door.  
  
"Close it!"  
  
"What?" Dillon looked at the door and shut it again. "Carly... is everything okay?"  
  
"I wish I could say that things were fine," She said. "But, no, things are not okay."  
  
"What's wrong?" Dillon wondered. "I'd like to help, if I can..."  
  
"What could you do?" Carly inquired.  
  
"I don't know... I'd like to think that I'm a pretty good listener."  
  
"Quatermaine's aren't good listeners."  
  
"Jason is."  
  
Carly thought about it. Much as she tried to deny it, much as everyone tried to deny it, Jason was a Quatermaine by blood, and he was one of the best, if not the best, friends that Carly could ever have hoped for. She could always depend on Jason to be there for her and fix her problems. Jason wasn't around at that moment, but Dillon was. "You can't tell Michael anything..."  
  
"Okay," Dillon didn't know why Carly would want to keep a secret from her own child, but it probably meant that something wasn't going well.  
  
"Last night... after we left... someone took Damian and Courtney from the hospital."  
  
"No..." Dillon choked. "He needs medical attention! He's really hurt right now, keeping him away from the hospital is only going to kill him!"  
  
"My mom said that he really doesn't need anymore attention, Dillon," Carly said. "But that doesn't mean that he should have been kidnapped from the hospital. I think Lorenzo did it."  
  
"I could go look for him..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I could go look for Lorenzo," Dillon said. "He trusts me, somewhat. I did a few odd jobs for him when I first got here, remember?"  
  
"Dillon, I can't let you do that," Carly stomped the idea out of Dillon's mind right away.  
  
"Carly, I know how to take care of myself."  
  
"I don't doubt that you can take care of yourself, Dillon, but you're living with Jason now and I can't put you in danger. If something happened to you, Jason and Courtney would never forgive me."  
  
"It wouldn't be your choice..."  
  
"I won't let another decision that I make cause someone to get hurt!" Carly yelled.  
  
Dillon saw a part of Carly that he never thought he would see, the fear that surrounded her was scary. "Another?"  
  
Carly eyed the teenager. "What do you mean, another?"  
  
"You said another decision that you make, Carly."  
  
"No I didn't," She couldn't believe that she made such a stupid slip of the tongue.  
  
"I heard you..."  
  
"I didn't say that, Dillon!" Carly protested, trying to save face. "If I gave you permission to leave the penthouse, which you are not getting because maybe the person who is doing this to us knows that you're living with us now and that person might try and go after you as well, and you were hurt I couldn't live with myself."  
  
"Is everyone else okay?" Dillon wondered. "Aside from the two of them..."  
  
"Michael is in his room right now," Carly said. "Morgan's with the nanny and we're the only two that are left, we're right here."  
  
"I could call the Quatermaine's, see if they know anything... they practically run the hospital."  
  
"I won't accept any favors from the Quatermaine's!" Carly was extremely opposed to taking favors from that family. They would end up using it against her, trying to take Michael away from them.  
  
"Bad idea then," Dillon muttered. "Sorry, I'm just trying to help you out a little here."  
  
"You can help me by staying out of the way," Carly put her head against the cushion of the couch. "I'm sorry, Dillon. I don't mean to sound like I'm so against you right now, but I'm really worried about them."  
  
Them? Dillon wasn't sure how worried Carly really was about them. Knowing her, she was probably much more worried about Courtney than she was worried about Damian. That was just the way it went with Carly. She had her circle of people that she cared about more than everyone else, and Damian wasn't a part of that circle, there was a high chance that he would never actually be a part of it. "I'm going to go back to Jason's..."  
  
"Stay there," Carly said. "I don't want you to leave the penthouse, do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, Carly, I understand." Dillon grabbed his bag again, "If you need me to do something... please just tell me and I'll be happy to help."  
  
"Thanks," Carly's voice didn't show that she meant it, but she was so drained that her voice was barely able to show any sort of emotions.  
  
Dillon opened the door again and saw all the eyes turn towards him once more. He walked past the guards, which was much like parting the red sea if the sea had been made of burly men wearing business suits. He opened the door to the penthouse that Jason lived in and sat on the couch. What the hell was going on? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out. Dillon picked up his phone and hit the first auto-dial, it was Georgie's cell phone.  
  
Georgie heard the dial-tone that Dillon's phone gave off whenever he called. "Dillon, hi!"  
  
"Georgie," Dillon spoke into the phone, throwing his head back with a sigh.  
  
Georgie could tell that something was wrong with Dillon, "What's up, Dillon? Why do you sound so sad?"  
  
"Where's Maxie at?"  
  
"I don't know," Georgie replied. "I'm at home and she isn't here. Why?" She knew why a second later. "Dillon... no... don't tell me he's..."  
  
"He's not dead, Georgie," Dillon said. "But we don't know where he is right now."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Someone took Damian and Courtney from the hospital last night," Dillon was angry. He should have known that something like that was going to happen. He should have been there to protect his friend and Courtney. "Carly thinks that it was Alcazar."  
  
"It would be something that he would do," Georgie was thinking about Maxie. What if she was at the hospital at that very moment? "Dillon, I think I should go to the hospital."  
  
"I'd meet you there, but I can't..."  
  
"What do you mean, you can't?"  
  
"Carly has me under house arrest," Dillon replied. "Right now she's going crazy, thinking that someone is after her family and everyone else who lives here, so I'm not allowed to leave the penthouse to do anything."  
  
"I think you should stay there, too," Georgie said. "Carly probably needs someone to talk to right now."  
  
"She won't talk to me."  
  
"You'd be surprised," Georgie smiled. "You've got that face that makes people trust you."  
  
Dillon laughed, he was glad that Georgie could make him feel a little better. "If anything changes, if you find out anything, please call me and tell me."  
  
"I will, love you."  
  
"Love you, too," Dillon hung up the phone and looked around. What was going to happen to Damian now? 


	35. No More Tears

Kayla- You are correct, it is not good and Lorenzo is indeed a very bad man for doing this, but he is desperate and lashing out. It is all Carly's fault. Bad Carly, bad!  
  
Story-  
  
General Hospital-  
  
Georgie happened to be right on the money when it came to wondering about her sister's whereabouts. Maxie did indeed find herself drawn towards the hospital like a moth to a flame, but she didn't mind the fact that she was going back. She had spent so much time volunteering at the hospital even before Damian came into her life that she felt like the hospital was her second home.  
  
Maxie came to the 4th floor and saw various people. It wasn't unexpected, there were always people waiting around to see loved ones who were sick or waiting for a new arrival to their families. But she saw someone that she wasn't expecting to see there. "Lucky!"  
  
Lucky Spencer turned around and saw Maxie. He knew what was going on. The entire reason that Lucky was even at the hospital was because he needed to do the search for Damian along with the rest of the force. He could tell that by Maxie's attitude she had no idea what was going on, no idea of the horrors that could have been committed to her boyfriend. Her father was actually in Damian's room at that moment.  
  
Maxie couldn't understand why Lucky was being so silent. She walked up, "I didn't expect to see you here."  
  
"I didn't expect to see you here, either," Lucky said, but his reason was a little more understandable than Maxie's.  
  
"Did you come to see Damian?" Maxie asked. "I'm sure that he'd be happy to see you."  
  
"I came here because of Damian, yes," Lucky wasn't sure if he should have been the one to tell Maxie about what was going on. Someone had to tell her, and it would have been nicer if it came from a friend.  
  
"But you didn't come to visit him?" Maxie was trying to decipher what Lucky was saying, he was becoming increasingly hard to read.  
  
"Maxie... he's gone."  
  
Maxie looked at Lucky, "You're lying! He's not dead! He can't be dead!"  
  
"Maxie, he's not dead... I don't think," Lucky held her firmly. "Right now we don't know where Damian and Courtney are. They appear to have been taken hostage by someone overnight."  
  
Maxie looked away, "He's not dead, though. Right?"  
  
"I don't think he's dead," Lucky repeated. "But at the same time we've got no evidence that states he is alive. Sonny Corinthos has a lot of enemies, I don't know what they would want to do. They could keep him alive, or they could just kill him and make it seem like he is alive."  
  
"No, Lucky... don't say that." Maxie's body tensed up. "Please, don't say that." She wouldn't cry. Damian wouldn't want her to cry. "I know he's safe."  
  
"How can you be sure?"  
  
"Because if he were dead, I would feel it, right?" Maxie asked. "If you love someone as much as I love him... you know when that person is gone, don't you?"  
  
"Maxie, I think you're being a little too optimistic in that case."  
  
"I know I'm right, Lucky!" Maxie protested. "He's not dead, and I won't let anybody tell me that he is! I won't cry, because I know that he's alive and that he'll come back to me."  
  
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"  
  
"What else do you know?" Maxie countered with a question of her own. "Please, Lucky. Don't treat me like I don't have a right to know, you know that I have as much right as anyone to know what's going on. Maybe not within the confines of the law, but still."  
  
Telling Maxie anything wouldn't put Lucky's job in danger, because the investigation hadn't even pulled up any clues as to anyone's whereabouts, and Maxie was right, she had every reason to be in the know in this instance. "We don't know anything, Maxie. I'm telling you the truth."  
  
"How long has he been missing?"  
  
"Only a few hours, given the time frame," Lucky replied. "We've questioned the one person that we think might have been involved in the situation, but he isn't talking at all."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"A doctor who we think has ties to Lorenzo Alcazar."  
  
"Alcazar..." Maxie thought about the man that had done so much to hurt people in Port Charles. "Do you think he was involved?"  
  
"When it comes to crimes of this nature we have a list of people who are almost always automatically suspects. Since it's something that is happening to Sonny, we can't put him on the list."  
  
"Sonny would never hurt Damian," Maxie replied. "I know that, you know that."  
  
"Which is why we aren't questioning him."  
  
"Have you talked to Alcazar?'  
  
"No, we haven't been able to get in contact with him?"  
  
"What about Ric?" Maxie asked.  
  
"What about me?" Ric came up through the elevator. "I got your phone call, Lucky. I hope this was urgent."  
  
"I think it is," Lucky said, trying to not show his contempt for the man that held some power of him.  
  
"Do we have a homicide or something?" Ric wondered, one of the only reasons that they would be at the hospital was if something of that nature had occurred.  
  
"Ric, Damian and Courtney are gone." Lucky didn't try to sound compassionate, like he tried to sound with Maxie. He didn't care how Ric took the news. Ric could roll up into a ball and begin to cry, Lucky wouldn't give a damn one way or the other.  
  
"Doesn't this hospital have security that is supposed to protect their patients from being taken out against their will?" Ric asked, knowing that the answer was yes. It was a rhetorical question anyway. "How long?"  
  
"We don't know for sure, anywhere from the time that Carly left the hospital last night until she returned earlier today."  
  
"And no one else checked on my nephew during that time?" Ric asked. "He is going through severe trauma and nobody bothered to check up on him in an almost twelve hour period?"  
  
"The only people who we know that were on duty in that general area are not picking up their phones, Ric," Lucky said. "We're trying to get in contact with them, but we're failing at every turn."  
  
"I intend to make it so that the PCPD does not fail all the time, I want that record of incompetence broken!"  
  
"We are doing everything that we can!"  
  
"Everything that you can do is not good enough for my tastes, Officer Spencer!" Ric countered. "I want better from you, you're supposed to protect people like my nephew."  
  
"Maybe those other people that were supposed to check on him are working for Alcazar, too," Maxie said, thinking about the possibilities. Since she had been working at the hospital she noticed that there were some of the doctors and nurses and other staff members who just weren't as talkative as the others, like they had something to hide. An association with a known crime lord would be something that they would have to hide.  
  
"That's certainly a possibility," Lucky nodded.  
  
"You're not going to take advice from a teenager, are you?"  
  
"If it's a good idea and it might lead us to some people who are missing, yes, I will," Lucky barked at Ric. "Besides, Maxie knows those people who were working. She's worked here for years as well."  
  
"I'm worried about him, too," Maxie told Ric, "but if I can help the police find Damian and Courtney, I'm going to try. I would think that you would try to help them, too. After all, you care about him, don't you?"  
  
"Don't try and question my relationship with your boyfriend, Miss. Jones," Ric replied. "Anything that I feel for Damian should remain between the two of us."  
  
"There were obvious signs of a struggle," Lucky said. "The IV was knocked over, the bed was a wreck, the chair was knocked over. Unless someone is planting those things there for us to make us grasp at straws, it hints that whoever took them ended up being someone or more than a person who they didn't want to go with."  
  
"Damian wouldn't go with just anyone," Maxie said. "He'd only go willingly with people that he trusted, and even then he would know that he wasn't supposed to leave the hospital until he was checked out because of possible complications." Maxie was afraid of what she was thinking, she was starting to think like her mother, the private investigator, looking for clues and reasons for things that had happened. She didn't want to be like Felicia, but if it helped, she would bear it for the time. "And even Courtney would have done something..."  
  
"As far as we can tell they were taken by force," Lucky was awed by Maxie's intuition. How much had the girl that had a childish crush on him when she was a young girl grown up? How much of that was because of her connection to Damian?  
  
"I'm going to go check for myself," Ric said as he walked down the hall.  
  
"Be my guest," Lucky muttered as he watched Ric leave. "Why do I put up with him?"  
  
"Because it's your job," Maxie gave Lucky a soft smile.  
  
"I'm proud of you, you know that," Lucky told her. "You're showing that you have so much inner strength that you've never shown before."  
  
"I'm tired of always crying when something bad happens to Damian, Lucky," Maxie admitted. "I've spent so much time crying, wondering if he's going to be okay, and he always has been okay. I don't think something like this is going to get him to give up... he won't leave me."  
  
"I don't think I'm needed here," Mac walked up. "Ric said that you were in the hallway... I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."  
  
"I'm fine, dad," Maxie hugged her father. "Just tell me that you're doing everything that you can to help find him..."  
  
"We're doing everything that we can to make sure that he gets home safely, Maxie," Mac replied. "Aren't we, Lucky?"  
  
"As much as we can do, which isn't much right now."  
  
Mac nodded, "I have a feeling that Sonny himself is going to have a better chance of finding out what we need to know than we are."  
  
"I agree," Lucky knew that Sonny wouldn't rest until he got the answers that he needed. He would turn the city upside down to find his son. Maybe they should have been watching Sonny more closely until something was found. "All we have to do is wait and hope." 


	36. Stronger

Corinthos Household-  
  
Sonny and Jason walked in from the flight that seemed to take an eternity. It could have been from New York City and it wouldn't have mattered, every single second felt like it would never end to both of them, although their primary worries were reversed, they still felt the same fear for the same reason. People that they cared about were in trouble, and they weren't sure if they were going to be able to get everyone out of danger in time.  
  
Carly had been waiting the entire time, she had barely moved since Dillon had left her, and that was at least an hour before Sonny got there. When she saw her husband, Carly got up and rushed into his arms. "I'm so sorry..."  
  
"Carly, I already told you, none of this is your fault. There was nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening to anyone. Don't blame yourself. I need you to be strong right now because it will help me be strong."  
  
"I'll try," Carly's voice was soft and filled with a certain degree of shame. She knew that it was her fault, on some level. Her best friend was in trouble because of her. Her stepson was already finding himself placed in so much danger because of her. Everything that happened was because of her, Sonny was just ignorant to that fact. He would have to remain as such or else he would leave her. He would take Michael and Morgan from her and she would never see her children again. Sonny wouldn't stand for a betrayal like she had given him. Carly had to stay silent. She had to keep Lorenzo quiet as well, although she had a feeling that he wouldn't say anything. He probably still loved her, even though he knew that there was no chance in hell that he would be with her. Lorenzo was a strange individual. She looked over at Jason, "Jase..."  
  
"Don't, Carly," Jason warned her. "I don't need your apologies right now."  
  
Sonny found his eyes wandering up the stairs, "Does Michael know yet?"  
  
"No," Carly shook her head. "You told me not to tell him anything until you came back, so I kept my mouth shut."  
  
"Good," Sonny was finding himself delivering so much bad news to his younger son about his older son, it hardly seemed fair to anyone. "Michael!" Sonny hollered, his voice carrying throughout the whole house.  
  
"Dillon's at the penthouse, Jason," Carly told her friend. "I told him that he wasn't supposed to leave until we found out what was going on."  
  
"I hope he listened," Jason said, but his focus was not on his cousin. It was on his wife.  
  
"He wanted to be a guinea pig," Carly thought back to his idea. "He thought that he could find Lorenzo because he had worked for Lorenzo in the past."  
  
"If it comes down to it, we might have to work with that," Jason was already beginning to plot ways in his head that Dillon could be used as a plant.  
  
"Jason... he's just a kid!"  
  
"Carly, I'll do almost anything to get my wife back!" Jason's voice began to waiver, a rare occurrence, but when it came to Courtney he was just as vulnerable as anyone else who was in love, if not more. Love for Jason was so hard to get because the people that he loved always ended up leaving him. Courtney was different. Courtney stayed.  
  
"Let's focus on making sure that Michael doesn't have a breakdown right now," Sonny told them both. "I can hear him coming down the stairs."  
  
"Daddy!" Michael was feeling that youthful exuberance, the severity of the situation lost to him because of his momentary ignorance that would soon be shattered.  
  
"Hey, buddy," Sonny got on his knees.  
  
"Mommy got me out of school early today!" Michael was thrilled. After all, to any 8 year old boy, getting out of school early was a reason for celebration.  
  
"I know she did, champ," Sonny hugged him. "But I'm afraid that there was a good reason for it."  
  
"I thought we were going to go see Damian," Michael admitted. "I thought mommy was going to take me to the hospital, but she brought me here and told me to go to my room."  
  
"I told her to get you out of school and bring you home," Sonny pushed away. "I wanted to make sure that I was the one who told you..."  
  
"Told me what?" Michael was trying to piece together the broken information, but his mind wasn't yet sharp enough to think of anything.  
  
"Michael, we don't know where Damian and Courtney are."  
  
"They're at the hospital, I know that..."  
  
"No," Sonny began, "someone took them both last night after you and your mommy left."  
  
"Took them?" Michael didn't comprehend what was going on. Who would take his brother and his aunt? "They're not here?"  
  
"Michael... they're gone."  
  
"The bad man must have taken them!" Michael yelled. "Like he took mommy!"  
  
Sonny didn't think that Ric was a suspect. Why would Ric take his own adult nephew? The one person in the family that showed Ric even a smidgeon of compassion and understanding? It wasn't something that Sonny completely thought was possible. Besides, Carly had already said that it was likely Alcazar, and the motive fit. "I don't think it was Ric, Mike."  
  
"You didn't think it was him when it was him," Michael pointed out. "The only one who believed me was Uncle Jason!"  
  
"Buddy," Jason began, "I don't think Ric was the one who took him either."  
  
That surprised Michael. Jason always believed him. Always. "But... who else would do it?"  
  
Sonny braced for everything that was going to come out of Michael in the next few minutes. "That's what we're trying to figure out."  
  
"I want to see Damian!"  
  
"You can't, buddy," Sonny replied. "As much as I want to tell you that you can, we don't know where he is."  
  
"Find him!" Michael ordered. "You find everyone else, you always get what you want. Send Max out to look for him!"  
  
"We're doing everything that we can right now, Michael, but we need to keep some people here as well."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Sonny got up, "Because this might not just be something that they're doing to Damian and Courtney. They might try and take you, or your baby brother, or your mommy. We're going to have guards around the door all the time and I need you to stay in here all the time until we can find out what's going on."  
  
"I want to help," Michael said. He wanted to do something. He knew that sitting around and doing nothing wasn't going to help bring his brother back.  
  
"You can help us all by staying safe," Sonny pointed out. "We're worrying about Courtney and Damian right now, we can't worry about you as well. You understand what's going on, right?"  
  
"Is he going to die?" Michael asked.  
  
"I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure that he doesn't die," Sonny was trying to instill faith in his boy. "We're going to find him, and we're going to make sure that the man or woman who did this to him pays for hurting us."  
  
Michael was sniffling, trying not to cry, trying to show that he was a big boy. If he didn't cry, maybe his father would let him help.  
  
Sonny could see that his son was struggling. "Buddy, if you want to cry, you can cry."  
  
"I don't want to cry..."  
  
"You don't?" Sonny asked. "It looks like you do."  
  
"I want to be strong like you and Uncle Jason! You never cry! If I'm strong like you, I can help..."  
  
"I told you how you could help," Sonny sighed. Nothing was getting through to Michael. It wasn't unexpected. How could you explain something like that to a boy Michael's age? Regardless of how smart he was, there was still the fact that Michael was a little boy.  
  
"By not doing anything," Michael replied. "I don't see how that is helping anyone."  
  
"Why don't you play your new video game?" Carly suggested.  
  
"I don't want to play any video games," Michael stated. "I want Damian back!"  
  
"You're being unreasonable," Sonny told his son. "You should know better than to think that you can fix everything just by asking for it. Please, Michael..." Sonny knew that the boy wasn't being selfish, he was just scared.  
  
"If you think I can help... will you let me?" Michael asked.  
  
"If there is something that only you can do, I will let you do it," Sonny didn't think that it would ever come up, but if Michael was the only hope they had... he would have to risk it sometime.  
  
"Good," Michael thought that he could finally be useful for something. "You're going to find him, right, daddy?"  
  
"I certainly hope so," Sonny said softly. "We found mommy when we thought we wouldn't, remember?"  
  
"Why don't you go upstairs, Mr. Man?" Carly said. "Me and daddy and Uncle Jason need to talk about stuff."  
  
Michael was momentarily hesitant, but did as he was asked and went up the stairs.  
  
Sonny got up of his knees and looked at Jason, "I already talked to some of our men. Alcazar's apartment is unoccupied. The only things that are there are the things that he owns. None of the items in the house give any hints as to where he might be."  
  
Carly sat down. Had Lorenzo listened? Had he left Port Charles... with Courtney and Damian. She didn't know where he could have gone. He always talked about taking her away, but she never went with him. The yacht was gone, there was no way that he could be on that. "The compound... in South America?"  
  
"No," Sonny replied. "I had people look into every single flight that left for any of the areas that Alcazar has a compound in. All the commercial flights, too. There was nothing that showed anyone leaving for any of those areas within the last 24 hours."  
  
"He could be here still," Jason said. "Or maybe he drove to Canada."  
  
"Would he risk it?" Sonny wondered. "He can't take Damian on an extended road trip, that could put his health in danger."  
  
"Sonny, I don't think that Alcazar cares about what's going on with your son," Jason pointed out.  
  
"If he wants to use Damian and Courtney as hostages or bartering chips, which he might, then he would want them to be as safe as possible, wouldn't he?"  
  
"He could just want them dead, though," Jason countered.  
  
"That's not going to happen!"  
  
"Sonny!" Jason yelled. "I don't want to think that my wife or my nephew are dead, but it's a possibility that I have to accept. We're dealing with someone who kills people without even blinking. He's worse than we could ever be. He wouldn't bat an eye at killing either of them."  
  
Sonny rubbed his temples, "You're right. That sick bastard wouldn't care about killing them. We've got to get them back, Jason."  
  
"We're doing everything we can..."  
  
"Everything isn't good enough," Sonny poured some water. "I want results, and I'm not getting any."  
  
The Lake House-  
  
One of Lorenzo's henchmen came into Lorenzo's private chambers. "Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan have landed in Port Charles."  
  
Lorenzo smiled, "Excellent. Now all we do is wait..."  
  
"Sir?" The henchman said. "Forgive me... but what if they never find out where you have the woman and the boy?"  
  
"Never underestimate the mind when it is working for the safety of those that it cares for," Lorenzo's voice flowed like silk. He was devious, but he was good at it. "Morgan and Corinthos will find out where I have taken their loved ones, and they'll come running." 


	37. Sharp Words

Night, Corinthos Household-  
  
Sonny was in a unique predicament, torn between two sides of what made him the person he was, what made him a father. One on side he wanted to be looking for Damian, scouring the town for any trace of his boy, but on the other hand he had a responsibility to his family that was safe. Carly wanted him to stay at the house. Michael, although he never said anything, wanted the same, Sonny could tell. It was with much resistance on his part that he managed to stay at the penthouse, calling every other minute for an update and finding that he wasn't going to get any from the people he had out on the field. It wasn't a comfortable feeling. He paid the people he had working for him to be the best and they weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing. How could they not find his son? How could it be possible not to know who he was? Sonny could sense his boy from a mile away... Damian just gave off something that made people know he was there. Damian was probably aware of that fact, yet he remained as humble as he ever was. He had charisma, he was the type of person who could inspire other people, a natural born leader... much like Sonny. Damian, however, didn't want to be that kind of person. He didn't want to lead people, he just wanted to help them. He'd make a good doctor if he ever got that far.  
  
Jason opened the door and walked in. He was limping again, mostly because he was putting too much pressure on his leg going everywhere looking for answers and not coming up with any.  
  
Sonny gazed over, "You okay?"  
  
"Just need a minute to put my leg up," Jason moved to the couch and put his foot on the couch, breathing in relief as the pressure came off. "I should have been healed by now."  
  
"Jason, it's barely been a week. I'm as astonished as anyone that you managed to get as far as you did in the healing process within such a short time, but you're pressing yourself too hard now..."  
  
"What are you saying?" Jason wondered.  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't be going out and looking for them..."  
  
"No," Jason was opposed to the idea. "Sonny, you can't keep me from looking for Courtney."  
  
"Are you going to disobey an order?"  
  
"I am if you try and stop me from protecting my wife," Jason stated. "Sonny, a lot of times I just roll with your ideas even when I don't agree with them personally, but if you try and keep me and Courtney separated, you're going to find that you won't have the success that you want. You should have learned the first time you tried to keep us apart, it just doesn't work."  
  
Sonny grinned, "I tried too hard, didn't I?'  
  
"Yes," Jason remembered how fiercely opposed Sonny was to his right hand man dating his baby sister. Jason and his mentor did battle, but in the end it was Sonny who conceded.  
  
"Fine," Sonny began, "if you're so intent on helping me rescue them I need to make sure that you're not going to do anything stupid. If you're too hurt to go on don't try and be the hero again, Jason. I couldn't stand to lose you just to get them back, and they'd never forgive themselves for being the ones that caused you to die."  
  
"I make my own choices."  
  
"We wouldn't see it like that," Sonny admitted. "You'd be gone to us, that's all that we would see. It would destroy Carly, I know it would. You know it would, too."  
  
"Carly clings on too easily," Jason muttered.  
  
"She doesn't have many people that she can depend on, Jason. And none of the people that she can depend on, not even me, are as reliable as you are."  
  
"If I think it's too much... I'll step out," Jason finally agreed. "But I'm not making any promises. If I see Courtney, I'm going to make sure that I get her out."  
  
Sonny sighed. He appeared to have gotten as far with Jason as he was going to get. "Where were you?"  
  
"I went back to Ric's old house..." Jason said. "Even though I don't think that he had anything to do with it, I still had to check the panic room, just in case."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I didn't find anything," Jason answered, the tinge of sadness not at all being hidden by his voice. He was sad that his search had come out without a single result. He wanted something, a hint.  
  
"So Ric's probably not to blame."  
  
"I don't think he had anything to do with it anyway," Jason hated saying those words, but it was how he felt. "I think he would know that he would be putting any possibility that he had with Elizabeth in danger if he tried to do something like that."  
  
"You think that she's the one person that could get him to stop?"  
  
"He loves her," Jason began. "She loves him, too. I don't understand why, but she does."  
  
"Do you ever think that you pushed her into that relationship?"  
  
Jason shook his head, "I tried to keep her as safe from this as I could. But we all know how impossible it is to keep everyone safe when we're involved in the life that we're in."  
  
"As much as we try..." Sonny said softly.  
  
"There's nothing that we can do..." Jason continued.  
  
"Where the hell are they?" Sonny asked himself, slamming his fist into the liquor cabinet. The vibration from the pound caused one of the glasses to shake off of the counter and fall to the ground. It crashed against the ground and shattered into a multitude of pieces. "Damn," Sonny hated it when he lost his temper, it almost always ended up with a higher bill for glasses.  
  
"Sonny," Jason knew what was going to happen. "Don't lose it..."  
  
"I haven't had 'it' for a long while, Jason," Sonny said. "I've managed to keep it together through some small miracle, but I'm running out of miracles now, aren't I?"  
  
"I'm worried, too, but I'm managing to keep myself somewhat stable."  
  
"Right," Sonny began "because we can't expect you to pretend like you feel something..." Sonny looked over at Jason. He could tell that he had hurt his friend. "I'm sorry, Jason, I'm just lashing out at anything that gets in my way."  
  
Jason got up, "If you need me..."  
  
"Jason..."  
  
"Sonny, I'm not going to stand around here and pretend like I don't get affected by the words that you throw around," Jason got up, ignoring his pain. "I know how you're feeling, regardless of if you want to believe me or not, but I would never actually insult you in such a manner that would imply that you don't care, regardless of how idiotic your actions can get at times." Jason closed the door and began to walk over to his penthouse. He didn't like being angry at Sonny, he knew that it wasn't Sonny's fault that everything was in shambles, but he wasn't going to stand around and be belittled.  
  
When he opened the door to his house, he saw Dillon on the couch. Jason sighed. He wanted to be alone, but since he had found himself with a new charge, that didn't seem like it was going to be something that was going to happen.  
  
Dillon looked over, "Don't you have a television?'  
  
"No," Jason said.  
  
"You don't watch tv?"  
  
"I don't like television."  
  
"Not even movies?'  
  
"Not even movies."  
  
Dillon was shocked. Someone who detested movies? How could they be related? How could a human being hate movies? It was like the most heinous crime in the world had been committed. "My God, Jason..."  
  
"What?" Jason wasn't in the mood to play games with Dillon.  
  
"You're the only person I know who doesn't like movies... I'm just trying to understand it..."  
  
"Better people than you have tried to understand me and failed," Jason quipped.  
  
"Hey... no reason to take my head off..."  
  
Jason thought about it and realized that he was doing the same thing that Sonny was doing to him, only to Dillon. Jason immediately felt a tinge of grief. "I'm sorry."  
  
Dillon noticed that the limp had returned. He got up, "You need some help?" Dillon suddenly realized how stupid the question was. "Right, sorry, I forgot, you don't accept help from anyone."  
  
"I accept help from Courtney."  
  
"Yeah, but that's because she loves you."  
  
"And I love her."  
  
"I never doubted that you loved her," Dillon watched Jason. Even if he didn't want Dillon's help, Dillon was going to give it if he felt that Jason needed it.  
  
"Some people do..."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Jason was quiet. He didn't want to tell Dillon anything. Dillon was a member of the household, but he wasn't a member of the family.  
  
Dillon, on the other hand, was running through his mind the people that would make such a claim against Jason. It couldn't have been Carly or Michael, and they were really the only people that Jason talked to outside of... "Sonny?"  
  
Jason looked up, even though he didn't want to. Dillon was right.  
  
"Look, Jason... I know that Sonny can be a passionate person when he gets angry, but you can't let anything that he says, especially right now when he's acting so scared and vulnerable get to you." Dillon played the role of the compassionate cousin. "I've seen you and Courtney together, Jason. I know that you two love each other. I wonder if Georgie and I will ever have the same kind of love that the two of you have, because that's the kind of love that I want. One that's unconditional, one that is always good."  
  
"You think we have that?"  
  
"Yeah," Dillon said. "Seriously, I've never seen anybody act the way that you two act. It's like the world doesn't even begin until the two of you are together. How do you do that? I mean, I know that Courtney doesn't like what you do, but she still manages to ignore all of that and just be happy that she's with you. It's amazing."  
  
"Courtney's an amazing person," Jason said, putting himself on one of the chairs. "And I failed her."  
  
"You couldn't have known that anything was going to happen..."  
  
"But I should have known."  
  
"You're not psychic."  
  
"I still should have known."  
  
"Jason... I want to help."  
  
"No," Jason opposed the idea right away. "Didn't Carly tell you that you couldn't put yourself at risk? You're supposed to stay here."  
  
"Jason, I feel useless."  
  
"You're not useless, Dillon."  
  
"Then let me help!" Dillon begged. "I want to help Damian because he's my friend, and I want to help Courtney because I owe her for letting me stay here..."  
  
"I can't let you do that," Jason said. "And I'm your guardian now, aren't I?"  
  
"I guess..." Dillon didn't think of Jason as his guardian until that moment, but he was the guy that would look over Dillon in case anything happened, so it was true.  
  
"And I'm telling you not to do anything, just stay here and don't even go to school."  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Dillon," Jason cut in, "why don't you get some rest? I'd really like to be alone right now."  
  
"Jason..."  
  
"Dillon!" Jason yelled. "Do it, please."  
  
"Okay..." Dillon got up and walked to the guest room, closing the door behind him. Dillon was angry, he wasn't being useful at all, he hated feeling useless. 


	38. Falsified

Lake House-  
  
Lorenzo wasn't sure if his 'guest' was going to be sleeping or not. Without the medications that he was being fed, there was no telling if he would be knocked out. It didn't matter, if Damian was asleep, Lorenzo would wake him up. Lorenzo came into the room and saw that the young man was as alert as ever. "Are you hungry?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Thirsty?"  
  
"What is this? Feed the hostage day?"  
  
Lorenzo smirked. "If I let you die, I couldn't use you as a hostage, could I?'  
  
"If you let us go..."  
  
"That is not going to happen, so you can just forget the notion and continue on with your life."  
  
"How can I continue with my life if you're keeping me and my aunt captive here against our wills?"  
  
"Touché," Lorenzo dryly commented. "It doesn't appear to be in your favor that I'm the one with the power in this situation, does it?"  
  
"You don't have any power," Damian sneered. "You just got lucky that you were able to exploit the fact that my father was on the other side of the country and I happened to be laid up in the hospital. You've struck at my family when we were at our weakest, that's the sign of a coward."  
  
"Or a smart tactician," Lorenzo sat on the end of the bed. He wasn't afraid of Damian doing anything. If he even tried to harm Lorenzo, Damian would feel the pain that came with having several broken ribs, and even if he was able to ignore that pain, Lorenzo would make sure that the boy suffered through other means. "Your father may be a brilliant man, but he allows himself to be blinded far too easily, it allowed me to, as you so eloquently put it, exploit the weakness as I saw fit."  
  
"Congratulations." Damian said sarcastically, "Remind me to buy you a new copy of Risk for your birthday."  
  
"I don't play Risk with the board, boy, I play it with real land."  
  
"Don't call me boy."  
  
"I can call you whatever I like," Lorenzo said. "Must you be so opposed to being in my custody?"  
  
"Yes," Damian replied. "Because I don't enjoy being someone's prisoner."  
  
"You're your father's prisoner, aren't you?"  
  
"No," Damian said. "My father doesn't hold me captive. He lets me leave whenever I want to leave, he didn't oppose my leaving when you sabotaged our relationship the first time."  
  
"He didn't? How many times did he try to get you back?"  
  
"He tried to get me back, he didn't force me back into his home. I came on my own terms, that shows how much he cares about me, and how much I care about him."  
  
"I seem to remember a time when you loathed your father because of the man that he truly was."  
  
"Now I've got a new person to loathe," Damian shot an icy stare at Lorenzo. "Want to take a guess at who it is?"  
  
"I think I've got a pretty good idea."  
  
"If I stay with you... will you let my aunt go? She doesn't even know where you are, Alcazar. If you throw her somewhere and then leave her unconscious, she'll find her way back to the penthouse, but she won't know anything." Damian was willing to barter away his freedom for Courtney's. He cared about her too much. He would have done the same for Carly, although he would never admit that aloud.  
  
"She will know that you are alive."  
  
"Don't you want that? My father would look for me even more if he knew for certain that I lived."  
  
"The idea is appealing, but I'm afraid that I'm going to decline," Lorenzo smiled. "It's not part of my plan."  
  
"I suppose this is the part where you tell me what that plan is."  
  
"No," Alcazar replied. "I may not be a movie buff like your friend Dillon Quatermaine, but I've seen enough movies to know that the villain really shouldn't start telling people his master plan."  
  
"I think I'm a little more harmless than the people like James Bond, plus, I lack the accent."  
  
Lorenzo laughed, "You're amusing, you know that? It's a pity that I'm going to kill you, we could have done things together that would have made us both very powerful individuals."  
  
"I never wanted power," Damian told the crime lord simply. "I only wanted to help people."  
  
"Maybe you are not your father's son, then."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Sonny craves power more than anything. If someone such as yourself, with a direct tie to him, does not thirst for the same thing, then there is almost no way that the two of you could be related."  
  
"He's my father."  
  
"Can you be so certain?" Lorenzo asked.  
  
"We had a blood test taken..."  
  
"Those could easily be faked," Lorenzo smirked.  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"Think about it," Lorenzo said. "You appear to be a bright boy, read between the lines."  
  
"You weren't even aware of who I could have been when we met."  
  
"I'm a lot more educated than you think, Damian. I always keep tracks on the Port Charles area. Everyone who comes in through it, I know... remember how I said that your last name seemed to spark an interest? Who's to say that I didn't plant those results?"  
  
"That can't be true!" Damian yelled. "My mother told me who my father was..."  
  
"Maybe she was only remembering one person..."  
  
"She never slept with anyone else!"  
  
"How naïve do you expect yourself to be? I realize that you wish to believe that your mother was some saintly figure, but there is no way that any woman her age could have gotten away with not sleeping around."  
  
"Sonny Corinthos is my father..."  
  
"If you say so," Lorenzo knew that it was a lie. He knew that he was only implanting ideas in Damian's head about his lineage. He didn't tamper with the test results, he was just playing head games. Damian needed to be broken down, weakened. Even with his injuries, his will to stand up to Alcazar was amazing. "What would he do... if he knew the truth?"  
  
"He knows the truth."  
  
"And if his perception of the truth was skewered? What if the veil of ignorance was lifted and your father realized that he is not your father?"  
  
"Stop saying that!" Damian yelled. "They're my family..."  
  
"You're so optimistic."  
  
"Even if they're not my blood family, which I am not saying I believe, they are my family in my heart, and that's the only way that matters. I don't have to be blood related to have a family. Michael is my little brother, regardless of if he is tied to me by blood or not, which he wouldn't be even if this idea of yours is true."  
  
"That boy clings onto anyone," Lorenzo remarked. "If Sonny were gone and I took charge of Carly's life he would eventually see me as his father."  
  
"He would never see anyone but our father as his own father!"  
  
"You're getting worked up rather easily," Lorenzo commented. "Did I touch a nerve?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Now you're lying."  
  
"I know who my family is."  
  
Lorenzo laughed. "Do you know why I offered you the chance to work for me before I decided that you needed to be eliminated?"  
  
"Because of my magnetic personality?"  
  
"You don't have one of those," Lorenzo's smile faded. "It's because you remind me quite a bit of myself when I was your age. If I could mold you into the person that I am now, I could ensure that my empire thrived. My niece would find you attractive... she would gladly have an heir."  
  
"I wouldn't love anyone but Maxie..."  
  
"You'd be surprised how I could break you," Lorenzo muttered. "I have people who could make death seem like a reward."  
  
"Well it's not like I'm going to worry about that anytime soon, right?" Damian asked. "You're going to kill me, and that's the severity of the situation."  
  
"I wish things could have been different," Lorenzo admitted. "Like I said, you show vast potential."  
  
"That's what my father said."  
  
"But unlike your supposed father, I would find a way to tap into that potential."  
  
"My father lets me tap into my potential in a way that I want to... it doesn't matter what he wants. That's something that you could never do. It has to be your way. My dad may not like some of my actions, but he will never try to make me be something that I'm not."  
  
"You seem to care too much for Sonny..."  
  
"I was raised to care about my family."  
  
"At least you'll die with that feeling in your heart," Lorenzo got up and walked out. His plan of breaking Damian was going to take some more time. He wondered if he had the time that it was going to take. 


	39. Dreamtime

Morgan Household-  
  
Dillon did what he was asked, or, rather, told. He didn't want to sleep. It wasn't that he was energetic, far from it, he was worried about his friend and Courtney. Even though Sonny and Jason refused to believe that Dillon could have been of any help, he knew that they were wrong. He'd done things for Alcazar before, he knew things about Alcazar that Sonny and Jason didn't know. They just had to trust him, but they wouldn't trust him because they didn't believe that he was anything more than just a kid with a rather unique hairstyle.  
  
Because of his disappointment at being rejected by the people that he wanted to help, Dillon tossed and turned in the bed that he was sleeping in. He didn't realize that he was sleeping so uncomfortably, of course, because of the fact that he was sleeping... and dreaming. Remembering.  
  
Years Ago-  
  
It was a warm summer night. Dillon was still new to the town. He had really only made friends with Georgie, who was busy volunteering at the hospital which she had just started to work at. Dillon knew that he loved that girl more than anything else. More than his movies, more than himself. He'd do anything to keep Georgie safe. It was one of the reasons why he kept his association with Lorenzo Alcazar a secret from her whenever possible. She knew that he worked for the man at times. She desperately wanted him to stop working for that guy, but Dillon couldn't. He needed money. Edward was threatening to send him away and if Dillon didn't find an alternative, he'd lose Georgie. Possibly forever. She would have claimed that she would be waiting for him, but someone that beautiful would find someone else, someone better than him. Dillon would never find someone as good as Georgie, though. He didn't want to leave her. The only alternative that Dillon could think of was getting a place of his own. The problem with that was places just didn't come out of the sky for teenagers to live in. He wasn't even old enough to drive, it wasn't like anybody would rent a space to a 15 year old... maybe Bobbie would, but she could get in trouble and Dillon didn't want anyone to suffer because of him.  
  
There had to be someone that he could turn to for help. He thought about asking his cousin... the one that they always talked about with so much disappointment. Jason. Dillon admitted that he admired Jason for getting away. Maybe the two of them could strike up a friendship. Maybe Jason could be his mentor. The idea seemed like it would have been a good one, but it wasn't. The two had already met before, and the meeting didn't go well. Jason didn't want anything to do with any of the Quatermaine clan. Dillon couldn't blame Jason. They were manipulative and undeserving of any love that anyone could give them. The only one who was different was Emily, and she wasn't even a real Quatermaine.  
  
Dillon was waiting for Alcazar at Kelly's. It wasn't the best place to meet, but there weren't many options. Dillon didn't even know what was going to happen. The man had someone contact him and say that Alcazar had an assignment. Dillon didn't want to pass up the chance at a quick buck.  
  
Alcazar came up and Dillon noticed him. The teenager was in awe of the man. He was so regal. The way that he stood up tall was amazing. He seemed to have an aura of confidence that couldn't be shattered by anyone. Sonny Corinthos had tried, but Sonny was also fixated on finding his wife. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice," Lorenzo's voice was filled with the same alarming sense of self that his body language gave off. There was something that couldn't be mistaken about Alcazar, he was a man who knew what he wanted.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Dillon said, putting his hand behind his head and scratching the back of his skull, a nervous gesture. "What did you need?"  
  
"I need to lay low for a time... get some of my activities in order," Lorenzo was cautious with his words. "Because of that, I'm going to need someone to be a delivery boy of sorts."  
  
"Don't take this the wrong way, but don't you have plenty of other people working for you that would be happy to give you whatever you wanted?"  
  
Lorenzo laughed, "You're a bright young man. Yes, I've my fair share of subjects that would be happy to do the task that I have in mind, but none of them have what you have."  
  
"What would that be?" Dillon was genuinely interested in what Alcazar thought that only Dillon had.  
  
"Youth, innocence, naivety," Lorenzo listed off the qualities like they were nothing. "My enemies in the area will know which men I have stationed around the area, and they'll know to be looking for such people if they want to find me. They wouldn't think about my associating myself with a teenager."  
  
"You're saying that I don't have a menacing face?" Dillon asked.  
  
"Don't take it as an insult, Dillon," Lorenzo replied. "It's actually a compliment. If people underestimate you then it means that you can use that underestimation in your favor. Never give up an advantage in life, Dillon. It's a rule that I've always lived my life by, and look where I am now."  
  
Dillon thought about where Lorenzo claimed to be. He had power, he had money, he had a life all his own. Nobody told him what to do. Dillon didn't want to be the same type of person that Lorenzo was per se, but he did want to be freed from the chains of oppression that the Quatermaine's had placed him under. "I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"You don't have to take this job," Lorenzo noted. "If you do not want to be my errand boy, just say it. I will pay you far more than the job entitles, though. Think of it as... a gift for loyalty to me."  
  
"Nothing I do will be illegal, right?" Dillon asked. No matter how much time it took, if he got arrested for something... again... his grandfather would send him off without batting an eyelash. Even Lila would probably be in favor of the idea. She didn't want to see one of her darling grandchildren fall onto the wrong side of the tracks. Even though she loved Jason dearly, she was always saddened by the fact that he became the person that he was.  
  
"Not unless you feel that you don't need to pay for food and toiletries," Lorenzo remarked. "You'll just be getting me things that I need from time to time. You will, of course, be given the money to purchase the items and then bring them to me."  
  
"There's a problem with that, I don't know where you live."  
  
"I have thought of that as well," Lorenzo grinned. "I haven't necessarily set up shop in Port Charles as of this moment, but I do have a home that I am using on the outskirts of town. Very secluded, with a beautiful view of a lake. Perhaps it could be a place that you could take that girl whom you enjoy spending so much time with."  
  
"I don't think Georgie would like that," Dillon was honest, but he wasn't brutally honest. How could Lorenzo like it if Dillon said that she wouldn't allow herself to be spending time around a known crime lord? Dillon severely doubted that the man would be very nice about the situation. "She's got this thing about being in a bathing suit around people that she doesn't know very well..."  
  
"You should consider it a very admirable quality that the young lady doesn't flaunt herself," Lorenzo said. "It's a very rare quality, especially in this day and age."  
  
"Georgie isn't like anyone else I've ever met," Dillon grinned. "She's... special."  
  
"I hope she knows how special she is to you sometime soon," Lorenzo was being nice, it was alarming Dillon. Who knew that someone who killed people at whim could have a heart? Dillon didn't. "I will give you instructions to the lake house when I have need of you, if you accept the job."  
  
"Yeah, I don't mind getting you food and things like that," Dillon grinned, it was going to be easy cash.  
  
"Excellent," Lorenzo's voice was thick. "You know, Dillon, I've got people who have been working for me for years and they don't have the dependability that you have. It's a very shocking thing that you're able to be so vital."  
  
"Thanks, I think..."  
  
"It was a compliment," Lorenzo turned around. "I shall find a way to contact you in a few days." Lorenzo walked away, his trench coat draping behind him. Dillon didn't understand how the man could wear something like that when it was so hot.  
  
Days Later-  
  
Dillon hadn't heard anything from Alcazar, but then out of the blue one of the men bumped into him on the pier, telling him that Lorenzo had need of him. Dillon carried a bag filled with, of all things, groceries and some light reading. What kind of crime lord read romance novels? Dillon had gotten the instructions to the house that Alcazar was talking about. He had to 'borrow' Ned's car to get there, but Ned was visiting Brook Lynn, he wouldn't have use for the car in some days. Besides, Dillon was a good driver. He could drive without people thinking that he was underage. He just had to conceal his face. Being a Quatermaine made him one of the elite in Port Charles. The police officers all knew every member of the family, and Dillon had no doubt that they would also know what his age was, and know that he wasn't old enough to drive legally.  
  
The pale moonlight of the summer night sky danced off of the reflective pool of water in the lake, making it seem like a mirror. The soft wind caused ripples in the water that changed the focus of the moon every second. Dillon thought it would have made a great opening or closing scene for a movie, but he didn't have a camera or anything else to take pictures of the serene scene.  
  
Dillon saw that the lights to the house were on. Either someone was there, or Lorenzo chose to keep the lights on just to make people feel like the house was occupied. As far as Dillon knew, nobody else really knew that Lorenzo even owned the place. He got out of the car, grabbing the brown bag and carrying it up the few stairs that creaked with each step. He didn't know why, but his pulse was racing. It wasn't like anything was going to happen. Dillon knocked, "Mr. Alcazar? It's Dillon Quatermaine."  
  
"The door is open," He heard the man yell.  
  
Dillon didn't know why someone like Alcazar would have an open door. Wouldn't it make it easier for someone to just barge in? If they didn't know he was there... then it didn't really matter. Besides, Alcazar almost always had a gun on him. If anyone tried to break into his home, they'd find themselves riddled with bullets in no time.  
  
Dillon walked into the house and looked around. It was beautiful. The couches were all imported and suede. There was a bearskin rug on the floor, and a marble fireplace, black as onyx. Even Edward himself would have to admit that Lorenzo had impeccable tastes in attire. Their lake house wasn't even that lavish.  
  
Lorenzo came out of one of the other parts of the home, making it seem bigger than it already was. "That was fast."  
  
"Wow..."  
  
Lorenzo chuckled, "You like how I live my life, I take it?"  
  
"I've seen lifestyles of the and famous a few thousand times in my life, but none of the houses looked this... nice."  
  
"I'll admit that I use this place as a getaway more than anything," Lorenzo looked around. "A place that people don't know I own, so I can spoil myself a little."  
  
"What's with all the books?"  
  
"An Oxford education breeds a love of fine literature, Dillon," Lorenzo smirked. "I didn't spend years at one of the top schools to just stay around shooting people, after all."  
  
"That explains the reason why you had me buy a book with Fabio on the cover..."  
  
"What can I say? I'm a Romantic."  
  
"I guess you are," Dillon handed the bag over. "Here's everything that you wanted me to get."  
  
"As I have already stated, you're an amazing young man."  
  
"I wish I heard that more often," Dillon stated. "The only times that I hear anything at my house that are really related to me are when my family's finding something to be nitpicky about, or they're railing on my mother."  
  
"Don't let the people who you have blood ties to shape the person that you can become, Dillon," Lorenzo said. "That's the biggest mistake that anyone could ever make."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Dillon knew that he had just heard a good piece of advice. One that he should have kept locked away in the back of his mind. "I'm going to see if Georgie wants me to keep her company at the hospital."  
  
"Here," Lorenzo pulled out some bills and placed some in Dillon's hand, "get her something nice."  
  
"This is..."  
  
"Don't take my generosity and toss it back in my face, Dillon," Lorenzo put the bag of items on the table. "You only live once."  
  
As Dillon left the house and closed the door, the door to his mind also closed. He woke up and looked over at the clock on the counter. It was almost three in the morning. That wasn't important, though. What was important was the fact that he might have known where Lorenzo was keeping Damian and Courtney.  
  
Dillon didn't know what he was going to do. On one hand his dreams had given him a hint as to where Lorenzo could have been. On the other hand, it could have just been a dream. He remembered the events that played off in his mind actually happening, but that didn't give them a degree of certainty. He could have just been grasping at straws, looking for something to cling onto. Trying to be the hero, like Jason, like Damian was when he sacrificed his own safety to keep Michael from being hurt.  
  
Did he want to do something so mean to Alcazar? It was true that they had cut off their association, mostly at Georgie's request. Dillon had learned to live in Port Charles, the Quatermaine's weren't going to send him off and his mother was back to keep it from happening anyway. Lorenzo had been very helpful to Dillon. He'd almost been a friend. Wouldn't doing something like he was about to do mean that he was betraying a friend?  
  
"No," Dillon whispered to himself. "I'm not betraying a friend... I'm helping one." Dillon knew that while Lorenzo Alcazar could have been something a friend, Damian Zuniga was a friend. Damian was a person that Dillon could look up to, could find inspiration from. Someone who had helped him with his own problems and never asked for anything in return. And then there was Courtney, the one who had taken in the runaway, homeless black sheep of the Quatermaine clan out of the goodness of her heart. Dillon owed Courtney considerably, he could pay her back if it ended up being a correct guess and she was being held captive by Alcazar at the lake house.  
  
"I've got to do this," Dillon pushed himself out of bed, wearing nothing but a tank top and some very thin sweatpants. His moral clock wasn't going off. He wasn't doing anything wrong. 


	40. Location

Dillon got out of the room that he was staying in and looked over at the couch. Jason wasn't there. It wasn't surprising. Even though Jason was well known for pulling all nighters in his time, it didn't mean that he never slept. Even Superman slept from time to time. That likely meant that he was in his bedroom, alone in the empty bed that was shared with Courtney once. Dillon hoped that it would be shared with Courtney again.  
  
Dillon walked up to the door and knocked, "Jason!"  
  
Jason opened his eyes, having only been asleep for less than an hour. His last thought when he finally found himself drifting into the world of sleep was Courtney, and his first thought when he woke up was the same person, the woman who owned his heart and showed him things that he never knew about himself. Would she ever show him anything again? Jason didn't know if he could save her. He wanted to believe that he could more than anything, but he was hurt, and he didn't know anything about where she could have been. Things weren't looking up.  
  
Dillon knocked again, a little harder, his voice a little more forceful, "Jason!"  
  
Jason realized that the reason that he was woken wasn't because of something of his own desire, Dillon was waking him up. Jason didn't enjoy being woken by anyone. Dillon was going to need a very good reason in order to merit forcing him out of bed. His leg hurt a little less, giving it hours of rest proved to be a good decision. He opened the door. "What is it?"  
  
"I think I know where they are!" Dillon exclaimed.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jason asked, still groggy.  
  
Dillon walked in and found himself looking around. He hadn't seen the inside of Jason and Courtney's room. It was quaint, and obviously decorated by Courtney. If Jason was an interior decorator, he kept it very hidden. "I had a dream..."  
  
"A dream?" Jason rolled his eyes.  
  
"It was more like a memory... something that happened when I was working for Alcazar."  
  
Jason remembered the time. There was a time in his life where he might have had to kill an innocent cousin if Dillon got in the way. He would have done it, too. Now, would he do the same thing? Would he kill Dillon, even though they were living together? Jason didn't know. If he had to, probably. "And why is it that this dream of yours is so important?"  
  
"Because it was something that gave me a hint..."  
  
"What kind of hint?"  
  
"He owns a house by the lake," Dillon said. "He told me that nobody knew that he owned it, it was like a place that he could go to when he didn't want to be discovered."  
  
Jason thought about it for a moment. They knew of several aliases that Alcazar used from time to time in order to buy things, property and the like, but there was always the possibility that he didn't have just the ones that they knew of. Jason and Sonny had dozens of alias and holding companies that would keep them secretive. Nobody could have known about all of them except for Jason and Sonny themselves. It made sense if he had some unknown aliases. "Keep going."  
  
"I went there once," Dillon said. "I took him some things once, before he got the apartment that he's been living in for a few years. I didn't think much of it... but I remembered it when I was sleeping."  
  
"Dillon... it was just a dream."  
  
"What if it wasn't?" Dillon asked. "Can you take the risk of it being the truth? Can you just brush it off like it isn't the truth if it is? Jason, I'm not saying that she's there for sure, but there is a good chance that it's the place that he took Courtney and Damian, especially if he hasn't left Port Charles!"  
  
"We don't know if he's left Port Charles or not. We just know that he hasn't left the country on an airplane."  
  
"You love her, don't you?"  
  
"Of course I love my wife!" Jason yelled. "Why does everybody think that I don't?"  
  
"Because you're not following your heart," Dillon pointed out. "You're looking for every reason to not believe that it could be the truth when it just might be the truth. Jason, if something like this ever happened to Georgie I would take every single possible lead and run with it. Nothing would keep me from looking, no matter how stupid it seemed. That's what love does, it makes you look for any reason, especially when someone you love is in trouble."  
  
Jason pondered what his young cousin was saying. Dillon was telling the truth. If Courtney was there and he overlooked that fact, if something happened to her because he wasn't willing to follow a lead, no matter how inane it seemed, he would never forgive himself. Dillon, regardless of how annoying he could be at times, was right. "Get out..."  
  
"What?" Dillon was shocked, "Come on, Jason, please believe me!"  
  
"I do believe you, Dillon. I just don't think you want to see me change into another outfit..."  
  
"Oh," Dillon thought about it and shuddered. Naked Jason was a very scary idea to him. "I'll go change, too."  
  
"You're..."  
  
Dillon moved out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
"Not going anywhere," Jason tried to finish his statement, but it was too late. He didn't pay much attention to the situation. He threw off his sweats and grabbed some pants, putting on his shoes and a shirt, plus his jacket. If Courtney was there, he was going to find her.  
  
Dillon hurried back to the guest room and threw on the same outfit that he was wearing earlier that day. It didn't matter if it was dirty, he was going. Dillon heard the front door open and then close. He waited for a second before he heard another door down the hall open and close. He knew that Jason had gone to Sonny's.  
  
"You're still up?" Sonny asked, having not gotten a wink of sleep, instead he was thinking of any place that his son could have been.  
  
"I was trying to sleep, but Dillon woke me up..."  
  
"You didn't kill him, did you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good," Sonny thought about what had happened between the two of them earlier. "Jason, I'm sorry about how I acted, I was upset and worried about the two of them, I wasn't thinking about how much I could have hurt you."  
  
"I don't care, Sonny. Dillon thinks he knows where they are."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He said that he went to a place that Alcazar used as a sort of safe house when he first came around Port Charles. A house by the lake."  
  
"We would have known..."  
  
"Not if we weren't looking," Jason cut in. "How many holding companies and aliases do we have when we want to do anything in the business?"  
  
"A lot."  
  
"And why wouldn't Alcazar be the same type of person? He's probably got dozens of ways to buy property that we wouldn't even think about. If he knew that he was coming to Port Charles to set up an operation before we even knew it would make sense for him to use a strange alias to buy a house..."  
  
"Where is this place?" Sonny asked.  
  
"I don't know..."  
  
"But I do," Dillon walked in, completely dressed.  
  
"What did I tell you?" Jason said. "You're not going anywhere, Dillon!"  
  
"I'm the only one who knows where the house is," Dillon pointed out. "If you don't let me go with you, how are you going to find it?"  
  
"Kid's got a point," Sonny said.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Jason hated it when Dillon had a point, it was really never something that Jason wanted to deal with. "Fine, you can come, on one requirement. You take us there, but you do not go in with us. I do not want you involved with anything that could happen... anything."  
  
"I just want to help."  
  
"And you're already going to help us considerably if you end up being right," Jason mentioned.  
  
Sonny got the phone, "Get everyone... we're going to find that bastard and take him out."  
  
"Sonny, is that wise?" Dillon asked. "Wouldn't he know if there were a bunch of men that came around?"  
  
"They're going to stay out of sight," Sonny said. "Dillon, I know what I'm doing. I've been in this business since before you were born."  
  
"Okay..." Dillon looked at the two mob bosses, "Do I get to drive?"  
  
"You're the one who knows where this place is," Sonny said.  
  
"Let's go, then," Dillon opened the door.  
  
Sonny glanced at Jason, "Say what you will... but he's enthused about this."  
  
"Yeah, I just hope he's right."  
  
"So do I," Sonny followed Dillon out. Jason was a few steps behind, closing the door behind him. 


	41. Siege

Later-  
  
Dillon said nothing on the ride to the lake house. He had been there once years before, but he had to make sure that he remembered everything that he could about its location. There was no telling what Alcazar could have done to Damian and Courtney. He had them in his custody for almost an entire day, possibly an entire day depending on what time they went missing. One of their only hopes was that Lorenzo would find himself sleeping. It was almost four in the morning, most people would be asleep at that time. Alcazar, however, had always let it be known that he was not like most people. He was his own individual creature, one that was impossible to understand.  
  
Another reason that Dillon was so silent was the fact that he was star struck. He was leading Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan, he was helping the two biggest crime lords in New York. Dillon's mind kept on asking him a single question: 'How cool is this?' The answer was very cool indeed, but he tried not to let it show. Even though he was ecstatic, he knew that the two of them didn't share his enthusiasm. They were looking at Dillon as little more than a nuisance. An ends to a means, the only one who could tell them what they needed to know and take them where they wanted to go. Dillon was perfectly okay with that, all he wanted to do was help.  
  
They had taken one of the least obvious vehicles that they owned, a dark van. It was to give Damian the room that he needed if he was there, because he was still going to be very injured. He needed his own space, and they'd have to drive slowly. Dillon thought about calling Georgie and telling her what was happening, but the cells were still down and he didn't want to get her hopes up, plus, she would tell Maxie and then there would be that whole problem to deal with. Keeping Georgie out of the know for a time was going to be the best idea.  
  
"How much longer?" Sonny asked, growing even more impatient by the second, thus putting him above an already dangerous level.  
  
"A few minutes," Dillon answered, looking over at Sonny, who was in the passengers seat.  
  
"You know, Dillon, if the two of us don't come back within a few minutes and it ends up that Alcazar is there, you have to drive off and go tell someone what happened."  
  
"I don't want to just leave you, Sonny."  
  
"I don't care what you want, Dillon," Sonny said. "I need to know for a fact that you're not going to put yourself at risk and you're going to find someone and tell them that Lorenzo Alcazar was the one that kidnapped my family. I can't tell them if I'm dead, neither can Jason."  
  
"You're not going to die," Dillon pointed out. He wasn't sure Sonny could ever die. He'd managed to take plenty of bullets in his life and he was still ticking.  
  
"It's always a possibility," Sonny retorted, knowing full well that every time he stepped into a firing zone it could have been his last time ever. "Tell me that you'll do the right thing. Go to Mac or Lucky, tell them what happened..."  
  
"Sonny..."  
  
"Dammit, Dillon, just do it!" Sonny yelled.  
  
"Okay, okay," Dillon was nervous, and being nervous at the wheel wasn't a very smart idea. Sonny should have known better than to cause him to have an anxiety attack while he was driving. "How long do I need to give you?"  
  
"Ten minutes after you hear anything that sounds suspicious," Sonny replied. "A gunshot, a scream, anything that sounds like something that could mean trouble, you need to get out."  
  
"What am I going to tell Carly and Michael?"  
  
"The truth," Sonny thought about his family. "Carly knows that the possibility always exists that I won't be coming home. She'll find a way to look after Michael and help him understand."  
  
"Look," Dillon pointed, not trying to think about delivering any eulogies to any family members. "That's it."  
  
"That's it?" Sonny asked, unimpressed. In the distance it looked like the most simple little cottage, just with a beautiful view of the lake. Lorenzo made a smart choice, hiding himself in the open, but in the least obvious of places.  
  
"What are your men going to be doing?"  
  
"Keeping to the shadows," Sonny didn't know if he should have been telling Dillon all the information, but Dillon was instrumental towards the operation. He needed to be in the know. "They're aware of the fact that you're going to be in this van, and they know not to shoot you no matter what."  
  
"Comforting," Dillon felt a chill run down his spine.  
  
"They'll come in and make sure that Alcazar doesn't leave if we don't make it out." Sonny looked around, in the shadows, he knew there were around him. "That's why we need you to go find someone. I want that bastard put away if I can't kill him myself."  
  
"Jason," Dillon looked in the mirror and saw his cousin, sitting in the stoic silence that had long become his trademark. "Are you sure you can do this, what with your leg and all?"  
  
"I'll be fine, Dillon," Jason said blankly. "Don't worry about me, just worry about getting your job done."  
  
"Forgive me for giving a damn about my family," Dillon said lowly. He meant it, too. He cared about Jason, he cared about Jason even though Jason didn't care about him. He didn't want Jason, or Sonny, or anyone else save for Alcazar, to get hurt during the time that was going to be spent trying to fight. Dillon parked far enough away so that nobody would hear the van coming up, and he turned the lights off completely, shutting down the vehicle as well. "Looks like we're here."  
  
"Remember," Sonny got out, "ten minutes."  
  
"Good luck," Dillon said, smacking his forehead. How could he have said something so stupid?  
  
Jason and Sonny walked towards the house that they figured belonged to Alcazar. Dillon had been right about there being a house in the same area that he remembered, why wouldn't it be Alcazars? But he could have sold it to somebody else. If he managed to purchase it without anyone knowing about it, there was no way in knowing for sure that they didn't get rid of it without anyone being aware of the situation.  
  
The two men were as silent as they could be. They knew that he probably had guards around, and any sound would make them aware of the fact that someone was around. Jason and Sonny needed the element of surprise if they were going to have any chance at getting Damian and Courtney out. Neither of them spoke verbally, they looked at each other and made motions with their heads, both of them understood what it meant.  
  
The guns had silencers, it gave them a certain amount of slack, but they still had to be careful. The gun would make no sound as it went off, but if it hit something, then the bullet would make a very loud sound, especially during a silent night.  
  
They approached the porch of the house, the light was on. They were going to walk up when they realized that there was someone walking around. Both Sonny and Jason backed away. The man appeared to hear them and took a look, but when he saw nothing he didn't further pursue the issue any.  
  
Jason looked at Sonny and picked up a rock. Sonny nodded, giving Jason the okay to do what he thought Jason was going to do. Jason tossed the rock to his left, hitting some bushes and making it seem like someone was far away from where Sonny and Jason really were.  
  
The man heard the second sound and became more alert. "Who is there?" He asked. Of course, Sonny and Jason gave no answer. He got his gun out and followed the sound, turning a blind eye towards the area that Sonny and Jason really were. Sonny snuck up and, at near point blank range, fired his gun. The gun made no sound, nor did the man as he felt the bullet enter his skull. He fell to the ground, dead.  
  
Jason came up from behind Sonny and pointed towards the door. Sonny nodded. They walked up the porch, quiet as possible.  
  
Guest Room-  
  
Lorenzo wasn't a stupid man. He had stayed up, sitting as close to the door as he could. He heard his guard call out for someone, and when the guard made no further sound, Lorenzo could only assume that he was dead. He had already moved Courtney to another side of the house. But he was not going to do anything with Mrs. Morgan, at least at that moment.  
  
"I should have given Sonny more credit," Lorenzo muttered. "I expected a little more time, but I guess his love for his son makes him rush into things when he shouldn't."  
  
Damian heard a voice close to him and woke up for a second, but he felt something get pressed against his mouth, a cloth. He struggled, but his arms were bound and he was still weak from the accident. Soon his vision began to flutter and he slumped over.  
  
Lorenzo had given him a sleep inducing agent. He wondered if he had given him enough, but when he pushed the boy and Damian made no sound or effort to stir, he figured it was enough. He wanted to make it seem like he had killed Damian. He wanted to give himself that mental edge against Sonny, to break him before he was dead. Lorenzo smiled, "Now, all we do is wait."  
  
Outside-  
  
"What do we do?" Jason asked, a few feet from the door. "Do we shoot the door?"  
  
"Too obvious," Sonny whispered. "He doesn't have guards in there, if he did, they would have come out when they heard the other guy call out."  
  
Jason grabbed the door and turned the knob, silent and slow. It opened. He walked in, followed closely by Sonny.  
  
Sonny took one direction of the house, Jason took the other.  
  
Sonny looked at all the doors. There were no lights on that showed under the doors except for one light. Sonny kicked the door open and saw his son. "Damian?" Sonny called out, but he got no response. He looked, there was nothing. "Damian!" Sonny yelled, knowing that if his son was asleep, yelling would wake him up. Still, there was nothing.  
  
Sonny felt his fears surface. His fears of failing the ones that he loved. He walked over, completely unaware of the fact that Lorenzo was watching from the closet.  
  
"Son, talk to me!" Sonny shook Damian, and didn't even see him breathe. He saw the cut on Damian's face that was given to him by the razor. Nobody had washed the blood off, it only made the cut look worse, giving the appearance of death. Sonny felt his body tense up. He felt everything come out. "No..." Sonny should have felt so much. He had found his son, but he had failed the boy.  
  
"You're too late, Corinthos," Lorenzo came out of his hiding spot, holding a gun. "Drop your weapon..."  
  
"Why?" Sonny asked. "You've already taken something from me that I couldn't live without. What difference does it make if I die now?"  
  
"You still have two children and a wife to return to. Do you want to make them fatherless?"  
  
Sonny left the gun by Damian's body. Sonny could still feel the warmth as he touched his hand. He hadn't been dead long...  
  
"The only way that I can keep Carly for myself is if I eliminate you from the equation," Lorenzo said. "It's nothing personal, I just want your woman."  
  
"You can't have Carly. Even if you kill me, you'll never have her."  
  
Lorenzo pistol whipped Sonny, opening up his lip. "I've waited a very long time to do that to you."  
  
Sonny punched Lorenzo in the face, "Not as long as I've waited to do that to you."  
  
The two men fought. Lorenzo keeping a grip on his weapon. He would beat Sonny into submission, using the cold lead object as a blunt object as opposed to a projectile weapon. Then, when Sonny was substantially beaten, Lorenzo would end his life... taking Carly for his own. He would have to deal with Morgan, but that could come in time. Jason was looking for Courtney, no doubt. She was hidden in the basement, which was soundproof. There was no way that he would hear the commotion.  
  
Lorenzo was stronger and had a larger reach than Sonny. He was able to beat Sonny into submission. They grunted, they yelled, they swore... they woke Damian up. Both were too preoccupied to know that the boy was woken.  
  
Damian, however, was alert enough to feel the cold steel of the gun near his fingers. His vision was hazy, but he could hear his father's voice. He tried to call out, but nothing came... 


	42. Choice For Life

Outside-  
  
Dillon looked at the clock, it had only been four minutes, but he was so nervous. He hadn't heard anything, although he had seen two people go into the house. He only assumed that it was Sonny and Jason because it really could have been no one else. If it came down to it, Dillon would fulfill his side of the bargain. If Sonny and Jason weren't out in six minutes, he would have to leave.  
  
Dillon sighed, "Come on, you two, don't make me leave... don't die on me."  
  
Inside-  
  
Jason didn't hear any of the fighting that was going on in the room where Damian was and Lorenzo was battling Sonny. He was looking for his wife and he was not finding anything. All the rooms that he checked had come up with nothing. There was the bathroom, the study, another spare room. Jason wondered if she were already dead. That couldn't be true. Jason refused to believe that Courtney was dead. He called out for her, "Courtney!"  
  
There was no response. He wasn't expecting her to yell out for him. She was probably bound and gagged. There was one room that was padlocked. Jason put the gun up and shot at it with his gun. The lock fell to the ground, completely harmless. Jason opened the door and saw that there was a staircase leading down into the darkness. Obviously it was the basement. Jason walked down, taking steps ever so carefully, since there was no light. Finally, at the bottom of the stairs he found a switch and turned it on. Courtney was there. She was tied to a chair, gagged, and blindfolded. "Courtney!" Jason's voice was a mix of several emotions. All of them good.  
  
Courtney heard her husband's voice and looked in his general direction. She felt hands on her cheeks. She knew they were Jason's hands, soft but firm. He untied the bounds that had her tied there and removed the gag. She let out a breath of air as he removed the blindfold as well. She turned over and hugged him, crying. "Jason!"  
  
"It's okay, I'm here..."  
  
"I thought I'd never see you again..."  
  
"I know, but that's fine, Courtney. Nothing is going to happen to you anymore. I'm going to keep you safe."  
  
"What about Damian?" Courtney asked. "Where are we?  
  
"Alcazar took you both."  
  
"Alcazar?"  
  
"He's got Damian somewhere, Sonny's looking for him right now. I was supposed to find you."  
  
"Jason, we have to help Sonny!"  
  
"We need to get you out of here first! Can you walk?"  
  
Courtney nodded.  
  
"Okay, let's go!" Jason helped Courtney up the stairs.  
  
Guest Room-  
  
"I never thought you'd be a brawler," Sonny coughed up a small amount of blood from the beating he had taken.  
  
"I learned a lot of things growing up. Luis made sure I knew how to fight."  
  
"I'll make sure that you join your brother," Sonny said. "You tried to mess with my family and I'm going to stop you from ever doing that again."  
  
"You're a fool, Corinthos," Alcazar smiled. "I've already killed your son."  
  
"He didn't deserve to die!"  
  
"He was predestined to die!" Lorenzo yelled. "Everyone who comes into your life is going to die because of you, Sonny. Don't you understand that? It's why I want to get Carly away from you, I don't want her to die in a violent matter because of the man that owns her heart!"  
  
"If she loved you, how would it be any different?" Sonny asked.  
  
"You won't be alive to find out..." Lorenzo put up the gun to Sonny's forehead, "I should have done this a long time ago."  
  
Sonny was pinned against the wall, he couldn't move...  
  
Damian was becoming more aware of his surroundings. He could see that Alcazar had his father pinned, had a gun to his head. Damian forced himself to move his hand toward the gun, trying to stay awake. He held the cold piece of metal in his shaking hand and picked it up. He ignored the pain that it took to sit up and get a good shot.  
  
Sonny could see Damian and knew that Lorenzo couldn't. His son was alive. Sonny readjusted his body in a quick motion as he heard the gun go off.  
  
Down the hall-  
  
"Jason!" Courtney yelled as she heard the gun fire. "Hurry!"  
  
Outside-  
  
Dillon jumped when he heard the faint pop of a gun. It couldn't have been Sonny's weapon. He had the silencer on...  
  
"No..." Dillon coughed.  
  
Guest Room-  
  
It was Lorenzo's gun that went off, but Lorenzo's gun wasn't the only gun that went off at that moment. Sonny's gun went off first. It pierced into Lorenzo's heart, causing an involuntary reaction that made his gun go off, but Sonny moved out of the way in time and he was fine. Lorenzo made one sound, a mixture of a cough and a groan. He fell to the ground as his eyes glazed over... and soon he was dead.  
  
Damian looked at the downed figure of the man. He had murdered someone... he had taken the life of a man. He promised himself that he would never do that. But he had no choice. He wasn't going to let his father die... nobody was going to kill Sonny.  
  
Sonny, beaten, bloodied and battered came forth with a slight limp, "Damian..."  
  
"Dad..." Damian's tears were staining red with the dried blood on his face, "I killed him..."  
  
"You saved me..."  
  
"I murdered someone!" Damian screamed.  
  
"You didn't have a choice," Sonny said.  
  
"No! There's always a choice," Damian turned the gun on himself. "I made the wrong one..."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"I murdered someone, I don't deserve to live!"  
  
"Stop it!" Sonny ordered. "Please, don't kill yourself. You didn't do anything wrong. He would have killed me, and then he would have killed you, Jason and Courtney. He had to die..."  
  
"I didn't want to kill him," Damian dropped the gun and began to shake. "I didn't want to kill him..."  
  
Sonny hugged his son, "It's going to be okay. I'm going to make it okay..."  
  
Jason and Courtney came into the room and saw the dead body of Lorenzo Alcazar, he was bleeding, his blood staining the wooden floor. Courtney looked up and saw Damian crying. She cried, too. Jason held her in his arms as Damian's soft wails filled the area. 


	43. Who is Damian Zuniga Corinthos?

One Month Later-  
  
Damian had managed to deal with the fact that he was a murderer. Nobody would tell anyone else what had happened. The only people who needed to know, knew. He told Maxie, but she said that he did the right thing. Lorenzo would have killed him and everyone else that he cared about. He needed to be dealt with.  
  
He and Jason had recovered. Jason was doing everything the same way that he had always done. Damian's ribs were healed, but he still felt some pain every time he moved. That pain would eventually subside, a testament to his love of his little brother.  
  
Damian didn't tell anyone about what had happened with Lorenzo. He knew that Sonny was his father, and even if it didn't end up being something that blood could determine, he was still Sonny's child.  
  
He also told nobody about Carly's involvement in the situation. She felt bad enough about everything as it was. He knew that she didn't mean to hurt him as much as she did. She had apologized enough.  
  
His grandparents never came around, but he called them and told them that everything was going to be okay.  
  
He managed to get his schoolwork all cleared up. He was doing well. The Quatermaine's and other doctors said that he could intern the next year if he kept it up. He vowed that he would.  
  
Dillon was still living with Jason and Courtney. They seemed to be happy together. Dillon would never be their child, nor would he want to be, but Dillon loved them both, it was obvious. Dillon was also making a few visits to the Quatermaine's. At first he didn't want to, but Damian pointed out the importance of family, even family that there wasn't much to love about.  
  
The Park-  
  
"Why did you want me to meet you here?" Justus asked.  
  
"Did you bring the papers?" Damian inquired.  
  
"Yes," Justus answered. He pulled out the documents. "You sure you want to do this?'  
  
"Justus, it's my name..."  
  
"I thought you liked your name."  
  
"I do," Damian looked at the papers that would change his last name. "But I don't feel complete until I acknowledge my entire heritage."  
  
"You're going to be an even bigger target if you do this... Sonny would understand."  
  
"Dad still doesn't know, does he?"  
  
"You asked me to keep him out of the loop. It wasn't easy, but I think I managed to fool him."  
  
"Good, I want this to be a surprise."  
  
"This is your last chance to change your mind."  
  
"I'm not going to change my mind," Damian grabbed the pen and signed the paper. As soon as Justus filed them, he wouldn't be just a Zuniga. His name would legally be changed to Damian Zuniga-Corinthos. He could never give up the part of him that he knew better than anything else. He was still a Zuniga, he would always honor his mother and her memory, but he couldn't spit on his father in the way that he was. He was Michael Corinthos's son, and he should have acknowledged that simple fact. "There..."  
  
"You know, I never thought you'd do it."  
  
"But I did." Damian got up, "I have to meet Maxie somewhere..."  
  
"Okay, bye."  
  
Damian got up and left Justus. The lawyer could only smile.  
  
Elsewhere in the Park-  
  
Maxie had been led somewhere, she couldn't tell where. She was blindfolded. Dillon and Georgie were the ones who took her to the area. She was told that she wasn't allowed to take off the blindfold. They were gone, but she didn't know that.  
  
She wondered what was going on.  
  
Then she heard it, the soft sonata of a piano. She smiled. She knew that she could take the blindfold off. She looked around and saw that she was in the same area that they met. He was in the gazebo, somehow managing to sneak a baby grand into the small gazebo. She knew the song, 'Truly, Madly, Deeply.' It had been one of her favorites. Georgie must have told him. As he played it without a single error, she realized that she had a new reason to love it. A new memory that she would always cherish.  
  
She walked up and sat on his lap, he continued to play, but when the song ended he just gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I love you, you know that."  
  
"I've known it since the first time you told me. I'll never forget it."  
  
"Good, and you'll never forget me..."  
  
"Never." Maxie could see his eyes were wide. Was something wrong? "Damian?"  
  
"Look..."  
  
Maxie looked out towards wherever Damian was looking. She saw it, too. The first snow of the season. It was early November. It was cold. It was snowing.  
  
Damian grabbed her hand and took her out from under the protective shell of the Gazebo. "I've... always wanted to be in the snow."  
  
"You've never done it before?"  
  
"I'm from California, remember?'  
  
"Do you know what to do in the snow?'  
  
"Hold the person I love?" Damian asked.  
  
Maxie smirked, "Good enough."  
  
Damian and Maxie held each other, the gentle snowflakes hitting them both as they looked up at the sky. They were young, they were in love.  
  
He'd come to Port Charles a young man looking for identity, looking for the man that had always been a question to him. He'd found that man, and he'd grown to be a better person because of it. Throughout everything he'd been through, he had no regrets.  
  
He knew that somewhere, his mother was going to be happy with him.  
  
Endnote:  
  
Well, guess we're all done with this, right? I know, I know. You're sad. So am I. I could have kept this going, but I didn't. Sorry that the last two chapters were like a single chapter broken up, but I figured that it was the best way to do this.  
  
You know, if someone had told me a year ago that I would end up writing a near 900 page story on General Hospital, I would have laughed my ass off. No, I wasn't a fan a year ago, but I'm a fan now, and I think it's good that I've become a fan of the story and the characters, they're so great.  
  
Am I happy that I did this story? Yes, I am. Am I completely satisfied with it? No, of course not. I had a lot of things that I played out in my head that I wanted to have happen but either just got rid of, or scrapped for time. I wanted Ric and Liz to get married again, and have Damian be the only one who was there to recognize the union. I wanted Sonny to find out about Carly's deal with Alcazar and throw her out, Damian being the one that would bring them back together. I even played with the idea of having Maxie be pregnant with Kyle's child, having it and raising with Damian.  
  
So, you can see that there were a lot of things that I wanted to do... but in the end I think I wrote the best story that I could have given everything that happened.  
  
I can't thank you all enough for reading it, for putting up with so much talking and dialog and how long it dragged in times.  
  
Maybe I'll do another one...  
  
Probably not.  
  
Either way, I'm a better writer because of it.  
  
Set. 


End file.
